Kansas became the 23rd state to issue a statewide stay-at-home order Saturday afternoon in response to the expanding coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced the order during a press conference in Topeka near the noon hour Saturday.
Kelley stressed that the order advises Kansans to stay inside their homes, but clarified the order is not a house arrest and that Kansans can leave their homes to go to their job — if designated “essential” — the grocery store, seek medical care and take care of other essential functions needed for the household. Outdoor exercise is allowed as long as social distancing is maintained, Kelly said.
The order is effective at 12:01 a.m. Monday through April 19.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued its latest COVID-19 report Saturday. It said there are now 261 cases across the state with five deaths. Kelly said projections are that the number of Kansas cases could reach 900 over the next week.
Gov. Kelly’s full press conference can be viewed below:
Kelly issued the order for Kansas’ 2.9 million residents after at least 25 counties, including all of the state’s most populous ones, issued their own stay-at-home orders, according to the Associated Press. Kelly said the new order supersedes the local orders.
Kelly called the current “patchwork” of local orders problematic and said she believes the statewide order was necessary because Kansas “isn’t ready for the peak” of the pandemic.
Cowley County Sheriff David Falletti posted via the sheriff office’s Facebook page that his office had received many calls about the order, and clarified what it means locally.
Falletti said law enforcement will not stop vehicles specifically to see why anyone is traveling and that borders with other states are not closed.
“I know that this has been a difficult time and I appreciate your efforts as we get through this together,” Falletti posted. “We are closely monitoring new information as it is issued and making changes accordingly. We will keep you informed.”
Kelly said as of Saturday, the state has not received what she says is needed from the federal government, and that hospitals across the state are preparing for the “inevitable surge” of COVID-19 patients.
Sumner County, which shares a border with Cowley County to its west, recorded its first case Friday and its county health department issued a stay-at-home order that afternoon.
Sedgwick County to the north has 33 cases and has been on a county-issued stay-at-home order since Wednesday. Kay County, Oklahoma, to the south, now has 18 cases — up from 13 Friday. However, drive-thru testing was set up in Ponca City for one day on Wednesday.
As of Saturday evening, there has yet to be a reported case of COVID-19 in Cowley County.
“Insufficient access to testing supplies has led to under-testing and diagnosis of COVID-19 in asymptomatic Kansans,” she said. “We believe there are more cases of COVID-19 than we have confirmed to date — including in areas that have not yet identified their first case.”
The latest coronvirus numbers for Kansas were released by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Saturday and can be viewed below:
