Coming Saturday to Morris County: a mask order.
Health Officer Dr. Daniel Frese has essentially revisited the county’s health order that was first enacted in July 2020 and continued into early April. Morris County residents need to wear a face covering when they are in any indoor public space or in a line to enter public spaces. Masks are also needed when people are “obtaining services from the healthcare sectors,” riding public transportation or ride-share vehicles and outdoors when social distancing can’t be maintained.
Morris County businesses also must require employees, patrons and others inside to wear face coverings, including when employees are working in spaces where food is prepared, packaged for sale or distributed to others.
There are several exemptions, including children under age five; people with medical conditions, certain mental health conditions or disabilities; and people who are eating or drinking at a restaurant, provided social distancing can be maintained.
Chase County has not announced a similar step. Chase and Morris counties combined their health departments last year.
Morris County ended its mask mandate this past spring in part due to lower numbers and in part due to Senate Bill 40, which allowed “aggrieved” residents to sue cities and counties for their COVID-19 protocols before that part of the bill was tentatively struck down by a Johnson County judge last month. Currently, Morris County has announced 686 cases, above the Kansas Department of Health and Environment report of 643. Morris County has announced 11 new cases, 13 active cases, three variant cases including two of the delta strain and 23 deaths. Morris County is statistically at 50 percent of its eligible population ages 12-plus that is fully vaccinated, according to KDHE. The state says 43 percent of its total population is fully vaccinated.
