Phase one of Governor Laura Kelly’s Ad Astra recovery plan begins Monday. However; as the governor stressed during her state address Thursday, this does not mean an immediate return to life as we knew just a few short months ago.
If anything, local officials are expressing the importance of restraint from area residents to simply jump back into their everyday routines. Lyon County Emergency Manager Jarrod Fell recently spoke with KVOE News and urged residents to not be in a rush to return to normal, as normal is something that doesn’t really exist right now.
Additionally, Fell says rushing the process could potentially lead to a large surge in positive cases and a depletion of local resources, setting back any progress the county may have recently made.
While phase one of the governor’s plan does allow for restaurants to restart their dine-in service options, an option many local counties have chosen to allow, Lyon County has decided not to take that step just yet. Friday, Lyon County announced its intention to follow the guidelines laid out in the governor’s phased reopening plan but with a few local restrictions and requests in place for the time being.
Dine-in services and self-serve options for local restaurants and convenience stores will be prohibited through the first phase of the plan until at least May 18 in Lyon County. Additionally, the county is requesting all residents, minus children under the age of two, utilize facial coverings in public and that local businesses require any patrons to wear a facial covering of some kind while inside their establishment to help limit any potential spread of COVID-19.
According to Fell, facial coverings include cloth masks, scarfs, bandanas or any material which effectively covers an individual’s mouth and nose.
According to Fell, these guidelines were added in order to help lower the county’s case numbers which are continuing to trend upwards at this time.
The tentative schedule of phases for the governor’s plan will see phase two begin by May 18 and phase three begin on June 1, so long as state health trends are favorable. If all goes according to plan, the official phase-out process could begin by June 15.
