A new 15-day disaster declaration and two executive orders loosening restrictions on staff responsibilities were announced by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly as part of her current plan to slow down the latest surge of COVID-19.
The disaster declaration triggers the state’s disaster response and recovery plans, also letting Gov. Kelly suspend certain rules and regulations that hamper the state’s response. The governor says the declaration is temporary. Once lawmakers return to session next week, the governor says she will work with them to extend the new executive orders through March.
Two executive orders issued Thursday are also supposed to help medical and adult care facilities with their responses to the virus. Governor Kelly says these are “narrowly tailored” to address immediate needs in these sectors.
EO 22-01 is designed to offer temporary relief from different restrictions on providing medical services. Among other components, the executive order lets physician assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and advanced registered practical nurses handle certain duties that would normally need supervision, while licensed pharmacists can care for regular health maintenance, chronic illness and other conditions. On top of that, National Guard members and other military service personnel can also volunteer to serve at hospitals.
EO 22-02 extends license renewal time periods and continuing education deadlines for adult care buildings. It also allows for temporary licenses and authorizes temporary aide positions.
Locally, Lyon County has added over 260 new coronavirus cases since New Year’s Eve and the active caseload is as high as it has been since early December 2020. Across Kansas, there were over 15,000 new cases and 15 deaths between Monday and Wednesday. Kansas has now recorded almost 550,000 cases and over 7,000 deaths since the pandemic started in March 2020.
