Tag: COVID-19

Gov. Kelly issues statewide ‘stay-at-home’ order until April 19 for Kansas to limit spread of COVID-19

Gov. Laura Kelly announced on Saturday that a temporary stay-at-home order would be implemented for the entire state of Kansas beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 30, and lasting until at least April 19 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an announcement in Topeka, and carried on the governor’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/, the governor announced a “stay-at-home” order similar to the one already in place for Wyandotte, Johnson, Douglas, Leavenworth and Sedgwick counties. Twenty-two other states also have issued temporary “stay-at-home” orders.

Wyandotte County has 47 positive COVID-19 cases and three deaths related to COVID-19 as of Friday, according to information from the Unified Government Health Department. The state of Kansas reported 202 positive COVID-19 cases on Friday morning.

“I know this is hard, and I can’t tell you how much I wish it weren’t necessary,” Gov. Kelly said. “But we have a small window to ensure that Kansas does not suffer the same terrible fate of other hard-hit states like New York and Missouri. We’ve all got to do our part to help stop the spread of the disease. Stay home. Stay Safe.”

More than half the state’s population already is under “stay-at-home” orders, she said.

Under this state order, residents will stay home unless going to work at an essential job, or performing an essential task such as obtaining food, medication or other household necessities. Residents may go out to seek medical care, caring for children, pets and family members. Exercising outside is allowed, six feet apart, but the maximum limit of any group is 10.

There are provisions for businesses and their operation in the new order announced today, that are similar, with some differences in the details, from earlier orders in Wyandotte County. While there are essential businesses and functions specifically mentioned in the order, people in nonessential businesses can continue to work at home if they can.

The state order will supersede all local orders, according to the language in the document, meaning that the Wyandotte County “stay-at-home” orders will no longer be in effect on March 30, but are replaced by the state “stay-at-home” orders. The local orders will still be in effect Saturday and Sunday. When the state order ends April 19, the local orders will resume again if there is still time left on them, such as Wyandotte County’s order, which ends April 23.

State health officials on Friday morning reported that positive COVID-19 cases had climbed to 202 in Kansas, and they projected cases to reach about 900 by March 31 in the state, Gov. Kelly noted.

The Wyandotte County order has been in effect since Tuesday, March 24, with an end date of April 23. The local order will continue after the state order is lifted April 19.

The governor said the state’s first position will be to let Kansans monitor themselves with the “stay-at-home” order, but local law enforcement can act concerning those not staying at home.

About 24,000 people have filed for unemployment in Kansas just in the past week, a rate that is about 12 times higher than the past unemployment numbers, Gov. Kelly said. She commended efforts in the federal stimulus and relief legislation passed Friday to help alleviate the needs of those who are unemployed. Also, action has been taken to extend the number of weeks people are eligible for unemployment benefits.

Gov. Kelly said the state will scale up its COVID-19 testing capacity as quickly as possible. She said there are indications that there are positive cases everywhere, not just in Wyandotte, Johnson and Sedgwick counties.

The state is expected to re-evaluate the order around April 19 to see if it should be extended.

Vulnerable hospitals, including rural hospitals, need more time to prepare, and this order is expected to protect those hospitals and their workers by giving them more time, she said, as well as protecting residents from COVID-19.

Kansas has not received as much personal protective equipment from the federal government as it wants, and the state will continue to press the federal government for more equipment, she said.

At the same time, Kansas is working with private companies in the state to produce more protective equipment, she said.

According to the order, no one will need to carry papers or documents saying they are allowed to perform a function or activity. Law enforcement officers are asked to use their discretion and consider the totality of the circumstances as they determine appropriate enforcement action, according to the state order released today.

Also, prior approval is not required for those listed as performing essential functions in the order. “Those who are uncertain whether they perform functions exempted from the prohibitions of the order may email [email protected] to determine whether their functions are deemed essential,” the order stated. The order specifically lists the functions that are “essential.”

Gov. Kelly’s “stay-at-home” order, Executive Order No. 20-16, is online at https://governor.kansas.gov/executive-order-no-20-16/.

To see the video of Gov. Kelly’s “stay-at-home” announcement, visit Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/.

To see a news release about the governor’s “stay-at-home” order, visit https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-kelly-issues-temporary-statewide-stay-home-order-in-ongoing-effort-to-combat-covid-19/.

More information is on the website of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at https://govstatus.egov.com/coronavirus.

Third relief package passes Congress

A third COVID-19 package, with about $2 trillion of relief for individuals, small businesses and the health care system, passed the U.S. House today and was signed into law.


U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., said several of the bill’s provisions will help Kansas residents.

She issued this statement:
“People in Kansas and across the country are hurting right now. Unemployment numbers in Kansas are skyrocketing, small business owners are struggling to keep their businesses afloat, and medical professionals are working around the clock to keep people healthy with limited supplies.

“While far from perfect, this bill is a bipartisan compromise that will provide some much-needed relief to medical professionals on the frontline, working people, families and small businesses. It contains several measures I advocated for, including expanded unemployment benefits, small business relief, and critical investments in our hospitals and health care professionals.

“I will push the Trump Administration to make sure we implement this relief immediately to help the health, safety, and economic security of our neighbors while providing accountability for the distribution of this aid. But this bill alone is not enough. Congress has much more work to do to help people in this country, and that’s what I’ll keep working towards.”

A few of the initiatives in this package that will affect Kansas:

• A $150 billion State and Local Coronavirus Relief Fund: Creates a $150 billion State and Local Coronavirus Relief Fund to provide states and localities additional resources to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. It is estimated that Kansas will receive approximately $1.25 billion in desperately needed funds to benefit our state’s residents.


• $260 billion in dramatically expanded unemployment benefits: Includes numerous provisions to improve unemployment benefits including providing an additional $600 per week for the next four months, providing an additional 13 weeks of federally funded benefits, and expanding eligibility to include workers in the gig economy and self-employed workers.


• Immediate direct cash payments to lower and middle-income Americans: Provides for immediate, direct cash payments to lower-and middle-income Americans of $1,200 for each adult and $500 for each child, beginning to phase out at an annual income of $75,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a household. These payments will provide individuals with the cash they need right now to survive with much of the economy currently shut down.


• More than $375 billion in small business relief: Provides more than $375 billion in small business relief, including $349 billion for forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees and keep them on the payroll; $17 billion for debt relief for current and new SBA borrowers; and $10 billion in immediate disaster grants.


• Approximately $200 billion for hospitals, health care workers, and health research: Provides an investment of about $200 billion in hospitals, health systems, and health research, including expanding funding for the personal protective equipment desperately needed by health care workers, including ventilators, n95 masks, gowns and gloves.

Attorney general gets more than 100 complaints about price-gouging

More than 100 complaints alleging price gouging have been filed since the state’s anti-profiteering law was triggered by the governor’s declaration of a state of emergency related to COVID-19, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.


As of Thursday, the attorney general’s office had received 107 price gouging complaints since the law went into effect on March 12. Some of those complaints have been referred to local prosecutors and others have been assigned to investigators within the attorney general’s office for follow up.


“The price gouging law is designed to prohibit profiteering from a disaster by unjustifiably raising prices of goods and services needed by the public,” Schmidt said. “We are reviewing every complaint and investigating those that show a possible violation of the law.”


The anti-profiteering law, which is enforced by the attorney general and county and district attorneys, generally prohibits unjustifiably raising prices for goods and services for which consumer demand is likely to increase because of the virus outbreak. A price increase is presumed unjustified if it exceeds by 25 percent or more the price at which the goods or services were available on March 11 or the price for which the same goods or services are available from other sellers in the trade area.


Examples of consumer goods and services governed by the anti-profiteering law include, but are not limited to, food items, sanitary and cleaning supplies such as hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, emergency supplies, medical supplies and services, lodging, and any other property or service for which consumer demand may increase in response to the virus outbreak.


The law was enacted in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and is codified at K.S A. 50-6,106. It carries a penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. It is only in effect during a disaster declaration.


Anyone with information about price-gouging in violation of the anti-profiteering law should file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division online on a newly designed form specifically covering COVID-19-related price gouging, available along with other resources about the state’s response to the outbreak, at www.ag.ks.gov.


Consumers may also call 800-432-2310 to request a paper complaint form be sent by mail.