Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday afternoon issued an order to stop evictions and foreclosures in Kansas.
An earlier order at the state level on evictions has expired, and the $600 per week unemployment from the federal government has lapsed, Gov. Kelly said.
This order will be in effect on a temporary basis “in the hopes the Senate will get its act together,” Gov. Kelly said. If not, they will look at another extension, she added.
“I can’t sit back and do nothing while the Senate has gone on vacation without addressing the issue,” Gov. Kelly said.
The state will review options to support landlords while this order is in effect, Gov. Kelly said. The order goes into effect immediately, until Sept. 15.
She said at the news conference that she didn’t think counties could opt out of the executive order. It just needs the State Finance Council to hear it, she added.
A federal stay on evictions was just for those who were under the federal home loan plan, she said. The state’s order is broader and includes everyone.
However, it does not include people who decide they don’t want to pay rent, she said. The failure to pay rent has to be pandemic-related, such as being unemployed because of the pandemic or not having money because of the pandemic, she said.
Gov. Kelly noted that some landlords may have gone a long time without being able to receive rent payments, and probably some action could be taken in the state’s recovery office to support them, she said.
“What I really think needs to happen is Congress needs to come back and re-up the original unemployment that was there,” the governor said. She said it is not true that the state has already received funding for it. While there are some funds in emergency management, those funds are pretty thin right now, she said. Also, the SMART Task Force already has committed most of the money that Kansas received from the CARES Act, she said. It would take over $40 million a month for Kansas to implement the unemployment program, she said.
She said Congress needs to implement the program that has already been put in place. There is already a structure for it.
The governor also extended relief for motor carriers from some rules and regulations until Sept. 14 or until the state of emergency expires. The order lifts some weight restrictions, helping the state to receive medical supplies, food shipments and other items.
Also, Kansas reported 1,282 new positive cases and three new deaths from Friday to Monday, according to the governor. There is a cumulative total of 35,167 cases, she said.
Johnson County reported 6,615 cumulative cases on Monday, an increase of 258 cases since Friday. Leavenworth County reported 1,576 cumulative cases Monday, an increase of 27 cases since Friday, according to KDHE.
According to the KDHE, other counties’ cumulative case reports: Sedgwick (Wichita area), 6,102; Wyandotte, 5,451; Ford County, 2,219; Shawnee County, 1,787; Finney County, 1,742; Douglas, 834; and Riley, 455. In all, there were positive cases in 103 Kansas counties.
Gov. Kelly quoted Dr. Deborah Birx, who came to Kansas over the weekend, who said everyone, including rural and urban residents, need to wear masks. “Wearing a mask works,” she said.
“We need Kansans to step up and do their part to stop the spread of this virus,” Gov. Kelly said.
She thanked cities that decided to enforce mask mandates when their counties failed to act on the mask mandate.
Many school districts used the extra time before school starts to obtain masks, equipment and thermometers, she said. She said last week she held a virtual call with teachers across the state of Kansas.
“My administration will be with them every step of the way, and we will do everything in our power to protect their health and to support their efforts to continue giving Kansas students a world-class education,” Gov. Kelly said.
She said they can’t allow politics to threaten health, schools and the economy.
“Take this virus seriously and practice social distancing, good hygiene, and wear masks, just like Dr. Birx, Dr. (Anthony) Fauci and Dr. (Lee) Norman have all consistently recommended,” Gov. Kelly said.
She also said quality affordable health care could be provided to 150,000 Kansans if they expand Medicaid.
Free testing available
Free COVID-19 testing is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, at All Saints parish, 811 Vermont Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, through Vibrant Health and the Health Equity Task Force.
Free testing also is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.
For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
The governor’s news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/727750198066103.
The new order to stop evictions is at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/EO-20-61-Reissued-Evictions-and-Foreclosures-Executed.pdf.
The order lifting weight restrictions for trucks is at https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/EO-20-62-Motor-Carriers-Executed.pdf.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment COVID-19 website is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas.
The UG Health Department sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.
The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.
The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.
