Governor Laura Kelly has outlined a plan to get the state back to full speed — if not back to the long-accepted normal — by June 15 if the coronavirus pandemic eases as hoped.
The governor rolled out “Ad Astra: A Plan to Reopen Kansas” in a special address to the state Thursday evening.
Kelly says the pandemic is a “before and after” moment in state, national and world history, and she says her plan is a starting point for getting the state back on track financially.
Phase One, which begins Monday, bears a striking similarity to current operations: mass gatherings at 10 people or less; community centers, large entertainment venues, public pools and organized sports facilities closed; no fairs, festivals, parades or graduations. Bars and nightclubs will be closed unless they can offer curbside and carryout service. Fitness centers, gyms and “personal service” businesses requiring close contact will be closed. Restaurants can open if they can maintain at least six feet of distance between patrons, whether individuals or groups.
The situation will be reviewed by May 18, at which time Phase Two could start — depending on COVID-19 trends. Mass gathering sizes will be expanded to 30 people. Bars and nightclubs can open to 50 percent capacity, while pools and community centers can open but large entertainment venues will remain closed and there will be no fairs, festivals, parades or graduations.
Masks in public settings and six-foot social distancing will both be strongly encouraged during Phases One and Two.
By June 1, Phase Three could begin. Mass gatherings can be as many as 90 people and social distancing guidelines — masks in public and six-foot distances — will be de-emphasized. All education, activities, venues and establishments may operate if they can meet the mass gathering guidelines.
The official “phase out” is tentatively set for June 15. Kelly says the plan is a balancing act.
Each phase must see a stable or declining rate of infections over a 14-day period, as well as decreasing numbers of hospital admissions and deaths, before moving to the next phase or the phase-out.
Local health departments can have tighter restrictions if they choose, but their new frameworks cannot be more lax than what Governor Kelly outlined Thursday. Lyon County Public Health will spend much of Friday “marrying up” the county’s path forward with Kelly’s plan, according to Health Officer Renee Hively. She tells KVOE News she wants to go through the entire plan before commenting. Public Health spokesman Jacob Welsh will join KVOE’s Newsmaker segment at 7:15 am Friday.
Area lawmakers say they plan to review the documents and comment perhaps as soon as Friday, but several Republican leaders in both chambers say the plan has flaws. Senate President Susan Wagle says the plan is “discriminatory, arbitrary and over-regulatory,” while House Republican leadership says Kelly’s plan is too vague and “passes the buck” onto counties.
Meanwhile, the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce is spearheading the Emporia-Lyon County Road to Recovery, which involves seven teams and two subsets to identify and build solutions for different business sectors, arts and entertainment, nonprofit groups, infrastructure and more. Calling it a “best practices” plan, President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says a full plan could be ready over the next month or so.
The Kansas Chamber of Commerce, which outlined its Relief and Recovery Agenda on April 15, says it will track health metrics in the next few weeks and will push for certain restrictions to be loosened or eliminated “when appropriate.” It is urging county leaders to develop “reasonable and uniform” restrictions while maintaining public health and not burdening essential functions.
*Click here for the state’s online coronavirus portal.
*Click here for links to the full Ad Astra plan and Ad Astra at a Glance.
We’d also like your thoughts on the governor’s plan. Go to the KVOE.com news page to take part in our online poll on whether the plan is appropriate to the state’s situation.
Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce’s Emporia-Lyon County Road to Recovery information
Steering Team
Kala Maxfield, Chair Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce
Jim Witt, City of Emporia
Scott Briggs, Lyon County Commission
Dr. Jim Williams, Emporia State University
Jerid Fell, Lyon County Emergency Management
Kent Heermann, RDA
Mark Schreiber, State Representative
Don Hill, Retired businessman and State Representative
Rob Gilligan, Ignite Emporia
Jeanine McKenna, Project Manager
Teams and team leaders
*Reviving Small Businesses: Co-Chairs Casey Woods, Emporia Main Street and Kim Redeker, The Sweet Granada
*Protecting the Arts and Creative Economy: Dawn Young, Emporia Arts Center and Kaila Mock, Trox Gallery & Gifts
*Restarting the Hospitality & Tourism Industry: Greg Jordan, Lyon County History Center and Doug Bjerkaas, Dynamic Discs
*Assessing Key Industries: Kent Heermann, RDA and Jim Kessler, Retired Businessman and RDA Chairman
**Subset Food and Agricultural Industries: Greg Margeson, Cargill and Nic Roth, PrairieLand Partners
**Subset Fabrication and Distribution Industries: Mike Williams, Hopkins Manufacturing and Kim Pember, Glendo Corporation
*Leveraging Strengths of Anchor Institutions: Mike Argabright, Superintendent USD 252 and Lisa Kirmer, Flint Hills Technical College
*Preparing Vital Infrastructure: Jim Ubert, City of Emporia and Dan Williams, Lyon County
*Rebuilding Nonprofit, Faith and Community Organizations: Mickey Edwards and Bianey Dorantes, HOTT
