Kansas legislative leaders voted Thursday to revoke a new statewide mask mandate that was issued by Governor Kelly. The mandate was only in effect a few hours before the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council voted 5-2 to overturn it.
Sedgwick County will return to a resolution that was approved March 24th by county commissioners, which is not a mask order but it strongly recommends the wearing of masks and other safety precautions. County manager Tom Stolz told reporters Thursday that the response to the coronavirus pandemic is now under local control, but a new state law puts local leaders more at risk of liability for the impacts of any local mask orders. He said he doesn’t believe that county commissioners and legal counsel would support a new mask order because “it exposes us to too many negatives.”
The city of Wichita issued a statement saying that the city will still require employees and visitors to wear masks and follow social distancing at city facilities until further notice. City Transit buses and the Eisenhower National Airport are under the Federal Transportation Authority and the Transportation Security Administration, and they require masks to be work on all regulated modes of transportation.
The city continues to recommend that residents wear masks, follow social distancing and avoid large gatherings to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
