By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly laid out her framework for reopening the Kansas economy Thursday night.
"It's an effort to balance non-negotiable public health considerations with jaw-dropping, unsustainable economic realities," Kelly said. "It's an effort to balance state obligations to keep Kansas communities safe with the need for returning flexibility to local leaders. It's an attempt to balance the need for stability in the future with agility as we continue to adapt to a rapidly evolving, lethal threat.
Kelly is lifting a statewide stay-at-home order Monday. But her plan won’t allow bars, gyms, theaters, barbershops, hair and nail salons or state-owned casinos to reopen until at least May 18 and local officials will be allowed to impose stricter rules, with a gradual phase in based on conditions in the state's 105 counties.
"This is not a game," Kelly said. "This is deadly serious, with both lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance. The decisions we make in the coming weeks and months, including the order in which we make them, and the pace at which we implement them, will determine what Kansas looks like after this pandemic has run its course."
She also said Thursday that the earliest she could lift all state limits on mass gatherings and other restrictions is June 15.
"The framework is not etched in stone," Kelly said. "Its fundamental purpose is to provide as much predictability as we can for both families and businesses, but Kansans must consider it a living document, subject to ongoing analysis and evaluation. We anticipate that we will, at some point, need to reconfigure our approach as lessons are learned, as new trends emerge in the data, and as unforeseen circumstances confront us on the ground."
Reno County authorities are working quickly to finalize any additional restrictions that may apply here before their local plan goes into effect Monday.