In a special meeting Sunday afternoon, Sedgwick County commissioners asked staff to work out a draft of a possible stay-at-home order for the coronavirus.
The commissioners heard an update on activities relating to the coronavirus outbreak and a stay-at-home order that was issued for the Kansas City area, where several counties in Kansas and Missouri have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Sedgwick County’s chief health officer, Dr. Garold Minns, said he doesn’t believe the county is ready for a stay-at-home order at this time. The county has only two cases of coronavirus and Dr. Minns said the virus is here, but at a low level. He said most people in the county have been following the instructions provided by health officials to protect themselves. He said the county probably will have to get more restrictive, but for now there is time to get more information, and county officials need to think it through so it will have the least economic impact on the county.
Dr. Minns said most people and businesses in the county have been following the instructions that health officials have been promoting, with social distancing and hand washing and other steps.
Commissioners are asking staff to draft an order that would outline essential businesses that would continue to operate, and it may further restrict public gatherings to ten people or less. The current limitation is 50 people or less. The commission wants to talk about the draft on Wednesday, but they could have a special meeting sooner if a draft is ready. Commissioner Lacey Cruse said she wants to know what the threshold will be for triggering a stay-at-home order, and she doesn’t want to wait until hospital intensive care units are full.
County manager Tom Stolz said there is still a shortage of masks and protective equipment for first responders. He said he has reached out to the private sector and local businesses, and there is a company in Hutchinson that could begin making masks. Stolz said if federal equipment becomes available in the near future, it will be needed for areas that have been hit hard by the coronavirus, so it looks like Kansas will have to fend for itself when it comes to getting needed equipment. The county is also waiting for more information on when test kits will be available.
