After the Sedgwick County Commission voted to drop the health order requiring masks and social distancing in public, there have been questions about whether or not Wichita will put its own mask order in place.
Mayor Brandon Whipple says at the moment there is not enough support on the City Council to call a meeting to discuss the issue. Kansas may see another statewide mask order anyway starting April 1. Governor Kelly has been reissuing executive orders after SB40 became law, and she’s indicated she plans to reissue a mask order next week. Under the new laws governing emergency powers, the Kansas legislature can override a new mask order and lawmakers have signaled they intend to.
Even without a mask order in place in Wichita or Sedgwick County, businesses still have the final say and can refuse service to a customer for not following the business’s rules on masks.
Regardless of what orders are in place, Mayor Whipple is urging everyone to keep following mask and social guidelines for at least another month. By May 1, the COVID vaccine should be available to the general population in Kansas. Sedgwick County leaders are working to move into the final phase early and get the vaccines to anyone who wants them. County leaders have been working to get guidance from the state on whether or not there would be any repercussions for moving ahead.
You can view all of Mayor Whipple’s comments from this morning’s meeting below.
