Curbing COVID-19 takes tough measures, so Sedgwick County leaders should endorse them
Health officials have been sounding the alarm for weeks:
Sedgwick County is a COVID-19 danger zone, and it’s only getting worse.
The number of positive cases in the Wichita area continues to climb — increasing tenfold over the past six weeks, according to Dr. Garold Minns, the county’s health officer.
The virus isn’t limited to elderly people. Eighty percent of COVID-19 patients in Sedgwick County are under 60, and more than half are younger than 40.
The virus wreaks havoc on people’s health, with some developing serious, long-lasting and debilitating conditions, including heart damage, lung problems, blood clotting and strokes.
And the virus isn’t taking a summer vacation, so our vigilance can’t either.
Minns said he plans to issue an order reinstating some key restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 — shutting down bars and nightclubs, setting a curfew for places that serve alcohol, limiting public gatherings and closing large venues.
Like Minns’ recent mask order, this one makes sense. County Commissioners should heed the doctor’s advice and send a strong, emphatic message: We must do everything possible to fend off a public health catastrophe.
Commissioners did the right thing earlier this month, when they didn’t stand in the way of the mask mandate. When they meet Wednesday, commissioners should swiftly endorse the additional restrictions, and they shouldn’t confuse matters by opting for recommendations over clear rules.
What’s at stake? People’s lives, most importantly. The state of our health-care system. Our local economy. And the well-being of thousands of Wichita-area schoolchildren.
Until we at least begin to slow the spread of the coronavirus in our community, we can’t ask students and teachers to return to crowded classrooms and hallways.
“If we want schools to be back in session, we need to get cases down,” Minns said Tuesday.
The new measures won’t be painless, particularly to owners and employees of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and venues who are still trying to recover from the spring shutdown. With coronavirus cases on the increase, the list of Wichita-area restaurants temporarily closing because of COVID-19 exposure continues to grow.
But the new order is right in line with stringent protective measures recommended by health officials at the White House and elsewhere.
After a shaky start during the early days of COVID-19, when Minns stalled on issuing a stay-at-home order, Sedgwick County’s health officer has become a forceful, logical and much-needed voice of reason during this public health crisis.
His latest order reflects a commitment to community health and safety, and it should be allowed to stand.
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 12:52 PM.