Reopening Kansas: National Guidelines and Local Decisions as of May 7 (May 14, 2020)
ByHina B. Shah, M.P.H., Linda J. Sheppard, J.D., Wyatt J. Beckman, M.P.H., C.H.E.S.,& Robert F. St. Peter, M.D.
As we near two months of living and working under significant safer-at-home orders, everyone’s attention is shifting to what is needed to safely reopen. There is an emerging consensus that in order to safely reopen we must have three things in place: adequate testing; the ability to conduct contact tracing; and supported isolation and quarantine. This edition ofA Kansas Twistprovides information on the national guidelines that have emerged, and how the state and individual counties are approaching reopening.The White House and a number of national organizations have produced guidelines to be considered as states reopen schools, businesses and society in general. KHI has produced a summary of 12 of the leading sets of guidelines presented in this side-by-side graphic, Summary of National Guidelines for Reopening the U.S.(Download file)
While the governor’s Ad Astra Plan to Reopen Kansas (State Plan), effective on May 4, established a regulatory baseline for Kansas local governments relating to safety guidelines while reopening business during the COVID-19 pandemic, counties retain the ability to impose additional restrictions that are in the best interest of the health of their residents. This acknowledges the growing recognition that within a state, the situation may vary significantly across regions and individual communities.
To help understand the variety of approaches being taken across the state, KHI has produced a summary of the reopening orders in each of the 105 counties in Kansas, Reopening Plans for Kansas Counties: Phase One(May 14).
The analysis shows that as of May 7, there were 63 counties that had implemented some elements more restrictive than the State Plan, covering 2.2 million Kansans (77 percent of the total population):
Thirteen (13) counties made changes only to the hours or services offered at county buildings and facilities, typically courthouses, libraries or county offices.
Fifty (50) counties, accounting for 55 percent of the state’s population, announced at least one significant reopening restriction beyond those in the State Plan. Three of these counties (Finney, Johnson and Wyandotte Counties) extended the entire statewide safer-at-home order that was in place prior to May 4.
The conditions in the reopening plans that differed from those in the State Plan, included one or more of the following in each of those 50 counties:
Food Service (38 counties) – restrictions included one or more of the following:
- prohibiting self-service food or beverage services (e.g., salad bars, buffets, fountain drink dispensers) (32)
- limiting dine-in options (4)
- limiting seating capacity (4)
- requiring reservations (3)
- requiring compliance with COVID-related guidelines (2)
- restricting outside waiting lines (1).
Playground Equipment and Picnic Tables (18 counties) – restrictions prohibiting use.
Retail/Sales Activities (7 counties) – one or more restrictions including:
- number of customers in retail space (3)
- prohibiting door-to-door solicitation, garage sales or yard sales (3)
- prohibiting dance studios (1)
- requiring disinfecting shopping carts (1)
- imposing a curfew on restaurant hours (1)
- requiring a log of customers to facilitate contact tracing if needed (1).
Real Estate Activities (6 counties) – prohibiting open houses or requiring masks to be worn
Miscellaneous (5 counties) – conditions unique to only one county:
- closing recreation programs (Wichita County)
- prohibiting visitors to a specific senior living facility (Stevens County)
- including persons over age 65 in the definition of high-risk individuals (Harvey County)
- imposing a quarantine on individuals who travel to certain counties in Kansas with high case rates (Ellsworth County)
- enforcement provision making violation of the orders a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,500 and/or one year in jail (Republic County).
Phase Two of the governor’s plan is scheduled to be implemented no sooner than May 18, Phase Three no sooner than June 1, and Phase Out no sooner than June 15. The governor will base decisions about moving between phases on a variety of metrics outlined in the plan. Regardless of phase, the State Health Officer retains the authority to impose additional public health interventions in certain areas as determined necessary by the Officer.
The governor’s plan also recommends that local governments monitor the following health criteria when determining if they should continue respective “stay-at-home” mandates or impose any additional restrictions, but does not include any requirements for doing so:
Disease Spread: stable or declining over a 14-day period (rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population);
Hospitals: decreasing number of new COVID-19 admissions (stable (flat) or a downward trajectory of the COVID-19 inpatient counts within a 14-day period);
Deaths: decreasing number of deaths (downward trajectory of COVID-19 deaths within a 14-day period).
NOTE: This information was collected via e-mail by the Kansas Association of Counties, searches for published orders, or announcements on social media or in a local newspaper. Counties that have announced restrictions and closures that differ from the State Plan are identified in the report. Counties may have orders in place that were not identified by this approach and therefore are not properly identified. This information will be monitored and updated periodically during the reopening process so check back regularly.
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