Governor Laura Kelly extends Stay-At-Home order
As part of her administration’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Laura Kelly issued Executive Order #20-24 Thursday, April 16, which extends the duration of the state’s Stay-At-Home order established in E.O. #20-16 to expire on midnight May 3.
“Cases of COVID-19 continue to increase and have spread to additional counties in Kansas. Extending the stay-home order will keep Kansans safe as we work to fight this pandemic,” the Governor said. “While we won’t be able to lift all restrictions on mass gatherings overnight, we will continue to develop mitigation efforts so Kansans, their families and businesses can plan for the future.”
The action was taken in collaboration with Governor Mike Parson of Missouri, as well as Kansas City metro leaders. The governor believes a regional approach will reduce confusion and help keep communities safe on both sides of the state line.
Governor Kelly also has been involved in discussion with Colorado Governor Jared Polis as a way to coordinate a plan for Western Kansas.
Between now and May 3, Governor Kelly also will consult with business leaders, health experts, economists and other industry and community leaders to determine the best path forward beyond that point, and re-open the Kansas economy safely and effectively.
The Kelly administration also will be highly focused on expanding testing capacity over the next two weeks so that rapid testing, contact tracing and isolation efforts can be used to prevent community spread and avoid overwhelming local healthcare providers.
Latest KDHE numbers
On Monday, April 20th, Kansas reached triple figures with 100 deaths due to COVID-19. As of Tuesday at noon, that number rose to 107.
There have been 2,025 positive cases which has resulted in 419 hospitalizations, while 17,076 have resulted in negative tests.
Private labs have performed 77.5% of those tests, with the State Lab (KHEL) doing 22.5%.
The average median age for COVID-19 remains at 51, with the oldest being age 99.
So far, 51.5% of the positive cases have been female, while 48.3% have been male.
The average median age requiring hospitalization is 64.
