Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman believe the state may be close or has already reached its peak in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Speaking during a Friday news conference, the Governor says it has been a tough week for the state, with the highest number of confirmed cases since the virus first appeared in Kansas. However, the Kelly says they are optimistic that Kansas is close to reaching its peak infection rate, if that hasn’t happened already.
The governor says if that his what is happening then the state will be able to switch gears from response to recovery starting next week. Kelly says that the recovery response will be in three parts that will begin at once.
The first will be developing a plan to efficiently use the funds provided to the state under the federal CARES Act. The next will be the announcement of state guidance on reopening the Kansas economy.
Kelly says they have been having ongoing conversations with stakeholders, including the business community and are incorporating their feedback into the plan for how to reopen the economy. The governor plans to share the details once the plan is finalized next week.
Governor Kelly says the last phase is working with lawmakers on how to address the cash flow and coming budget crisis created by the loss of tax revenue during the pandemic. The state is facing a $1.27 billion deficit. Kelly says the state is going to need assistance in the form of flexible funding from the federal government.
The governor says while the funds being received by the CARES Act will make a big impact, they are restrictive in how they may be spent and cannot be used to cover deficits. Kelly says while the state was able to get through the last recession, there was a big difference between that recession and the one we are facing now.
The previous recession was a slow decline economic prosperity, while the one the state and many others are facing is an immediate halt to economy. Governor Kelly says she has written a letter to the state’s federal delegation asking for lawmakers to work on another aid package for states that includes flexible spending of funds.
