Given current trends across Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly says she wants to sit down as soon as possible with legislative leaders and possibly set up a mask mandate.
Kelly pointed to the situation in Norton County, where all the residents of a health facility contracted COVID-19 and 10 died. Recently, the county also has the largest number of new cases per 100,000 residents of any US county.
Kelly also pointed to early July, when her mask mandate became an advisory where counties could adhere to the mandate or opt out. At that time, Kansas had 14,000 cases and 200 deaths. Ninety counties decided to opt out of the mandate at that time. The state’s current numbers are 75,000 cases and 950 deaths.
Kelly says she wants to work with Republican leaders on a bipartisan effort, and she’s considering all possible avenues for a statewide mask mandate. She also says it’s time to act now rather than after the election Nov. 3, saying the mandate is important to protecting family, neighbors and the economy.
A schedule for discussions has not been announced.
