During her Friday press conference, Governor Laura Kelly explained the reasoning behind the state moving to phase 1.5, rather than phase 2 of the reopening plan.
“Unfortunately, the daily rate of disease spread has not shown the downward trajectory to move fully into phase 2.” says Kelly. The governor says the state hopes to adhere to the initial recovery process as much as they can.
“But I’ve always said, that until a Covid-19 vaccine is developed, manufactured and widely distributed, our future remains subject to the whims of this virus.”
Kelly said that the state is focused on the data and not dates on when to reopen the state. After the stay-at-home order went into effect, the governor says they saw a downward trend in the rates of infection across Kansas, but that changed once the order was lifted.
“Over the past week, we saw that downward trend fluctuate and and flatten, giving us pause. It illustrates that the disease is still spreading in our communities.” said Kelly.
The governor says data from around the globe shows the consequences of opening to soon and aggressively. She says it is critical to continue to proceed with caution to make sure that the state continues to have the hospital capacity, as well as the ability to test and trace the disease across the state.
The governor says that any large cluster outbreak could undo everything that has been achieved so far to help slow and contain the spread of Covid-19.
