Sedgwick County commissioners have decided to stay with the guidelines under Governor Kelly’s economic reopening plan, and no additional restrictions will be imposed.
Commissioners made the decision in a special meeting Wednesday afternoon, the day after Governor Kelly announced that she would turn control back to the counties and leave the reopening plan as a guideline.
The county’s chief health officer, Dr. Garold Minns, said a majority of residents have followed prevention measures including social distancing, and that has helped to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the county. He voiced a concern about recent activities at the Lake of the Ozarks resort in Missouri, where crowds of people attended pool parties without social distancing, and he said the county should stay with Phase 2 of the governor’s plan.
Commissioners voted to make the plan a recommendation, leaving it up to individuals and businesses to decide their best course of action. The county will allow public gatherings of up to 20 people instead of 15 under the current Phase 2 guideline.
Sedgwick County reported 564 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, and the number of deaths remains at 21. 423 people in the county have recovered from the coronavirus.
