Two days after Governor Laura Kelly adjusted the game plan for COVID-19 stay-home orders at the local level, Lyon County officials again urged residents to adhere to slightly stricter guidelines crafted at the local level earlier in the week.
The governor announced a stay-home order Saturday that is now in effect until at least April 19. On KVOE’s Newsmaker segment Monday, Lyon County Health Officer Renee Hively said the governor’s decision to have uniformity across Kansas was a good move, but it should have gone a bit farther in a couple areas.
Lyon County’s order limits gatherings to immediate family. The governor’s order sets the maximum at 10 people, including church and funeral services. Lyon County’s order also temporarily ends carryout service for restaurants. The state order allows carryout.
Hively is anticipating a lot of questions about which businesses are considered essential and which ones aren’t. County officials are telling people with questions to email keff@ks.gov.
Meanwhile, county infection numbers continue to rise. The state’s official total will be released by early afternoon and the county’s daily tally will come out by late afternoon, but Hively says the count as of Monday morning had climbed to 11, up from nine as announced Sunday and up from the Friday total of five.
While county officials watch the numbers inside the county line, they are also tracking trends nearby — including those in Coffey County, where the county’s eight confirmed cases are all currently linked to a skilled nursing facility in Burlington. Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell:
Hively says at least three of Lyon County’s cases are also linked to the situation in Burlington.
Both Hively and Fell urge residents to continue following social distance guidelines. With severe weather season underway, Fell told residents who have to leave their mobile home or other dwellings for shelter can leave their homes to be safe if a tornado is bearing down on them.
