Smart & Safe: Reopening Douglas County

Douglas County is currently in Phase 3 of the county’s Smart & Safe: Reopening Douglas County Plan for two weeks through July 5.

Phase 3 prohibits mass gatherings of 45 or more people. All businesses, activities and venues, including swimming pools, have been able to open in this phase provided they can maintain at least six feet of social distance between individuals or groups, follow fundamental cleaning and public health practices, and avoid instances in which the mass gathering limit is exceeded and individuals are unable to maintain 6 feet of distance with only infrequent or incidental moments of closer proximity.

People should wear a mask or cloth face covering any time they venture into public and according to public health guidelines and recommendations, businesses should require employees to wear masks. Dr. Marcellino, Douglas County Local Health Officer, said it is especially important to wear a mask any time you go inside a public place or business. Outside, wear a mask if you are in a situation where you may not be able to keep six feet of social distance from someone who is not a family member.

"We appreciate the businesses in our community that have closed in the past under earlier health orders, and now that they are open, we are asking for their continued cooperation by requiring employees to wear masks,” Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Director Dan Partridge said. “We also ask members of the public to wear masks when they venture out. We have had a strong community effort for several months, as people have made sacrifices and worked to take care of their neighbors. We are asking people to redouble their efforts and keep doing that.” 

Other important ways to reduce transmission of COVID-19 are:

• Practice social distancing, meaning staying at least 6 feet apart from others when in public or outdoors;
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water is not immediately available;
• Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow;
• Avoid touching your face;
• Keep your home and office surfaces clean;
• Stay home as much as possible and keep your circle of contacts small.

You can review reopening guidance by specific industries at douglascountyks.org/coronavirus and ldchealth.org/coronavirus. See 

Douglas County’s Smart & safe Reopening Plan is modeled after Governor Laura Kelly’s Ad Astra plan. You can review the full Governor’s plan for details and this reopening guidance by industry. Anyone with questions about a public health order can email phorders@ldchealth.org.

Mission: Unified in protecting the health and safety of our community and providing critical services

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, LMH Health, Douglas County and the City of Lawrence have activated what is know as a Unified Command under the National Incident Management System. We are all working closely with the cities of Eudora, Baldwin City, and Lecompton in addition to schools and universities, law enforcement agencies, first res ponders, human service providers and others to protect the health and well-being of all Douglas County residents. Check out the Douglas County Response Hub.

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health

On Monday April 27, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health reopened limited clinic services that were suspended during COVID-19 pandemic. The reopened services will be to treat patients experiencing sexually transmitted diseases and to give immunizations to pregnant mothers and children up to age 2. All visits will be available by appointment only scheduled by the clinic’s front desk staff at 785-843-0271. Appointments for immunizations are available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with STD appointments for symptomatic patients available on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The WIC clinic has moved to virtual appointments via online and phone services to promote social distancing measures. Healthy Families Douglas County and Healthy Dads services have also moved to virtual services at this point. 

Resources for Douglas County Residents

Contact Us

• Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health Coronavirus Line: 785-856-4343
• LMH Health Coronavirus Line: 785-505-3463

Unemployment/Job Opportunities

Are you needing to file for unemployment? Individuals can file claims online or by phone at 785-575-1460. Due to extremely high call volumes the Kansas Department of Labor encourages those who need to submit an unemployment claim to go online (https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/Home.aspx) to fill out their claim. This will be the quickest way to receive your benefits. 

Did you lose your job or have your hours reduced a a result of COVID-19? Businesses across Kansas need thousands of workers for immediate hire. Learn more about hose is hiring at kansasworks.com/coronavirus.

United Way 2-1-1

United Way 2-1-1 is ready to connect you to the services you’re looking for 24/7 and at no cost:

• Call 2-1-1 to chat with a call specialist
• Text your ZIP Code to 898211 to get referrals
• Search online at Douglas.MyResourceConnection.org

MyStrength.com

For those who are feeling anxious, fearful, stressed, or depressed - You are not alone. Douglas County offers an online tool called myStrength that can help. It is available 24/7 and it’s free. Visit myStrength.com and use access code: DouglasCounty.

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center: 785-843-9192

Food Assistance

Douglas County’s food pantry Just Food is coordinating efforts to provide food assistance in our community. To sign up as a Just Food client:

• Online: http://bit.ly/JustFoodApp
• Call: 785-856-7030 and press 0
• Email: info@justfoodks.org

During the COVID-19 pandemic, clients are eligible to receive a grocery box every two weeks. There are two ways to receive a box:

• Attend a curbside distribution, Wednesdays and Fridays, noon-5 p.m., 1000 E. Eleventh Street in Lawrence.
• Sign up for delivery here: http://bit.ly/JustFoodDeliveryRequest

Grocery Delivery Service

Independence Inc. Public Transportation is offering free pickup and delivery of grocery orders, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Anyone living in Douglas County is eligible for the service. For service, follow these steps:

• Call 785-843-5576 and let Independence Inc. know what day you will be placing a grocery order.
• Call to place your grocery and essential items order. Pay for order in full and let the store know that Independence Inc. will be picking up the order.
• Call 785-843-5576 again to confirm order has been placed and the day it will be ready for pick up.

Questions? Call 785-843-5576

Donation Information

United Way of Douglas County is accepting donations between noon and 2 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at the southwest corner of the Community Building at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper Street. Only items listed in the donation request list will be accepted. To find out what items are needed and to learn about safety protocols, visit: http://volunteerdouglascounty.org/donations. If you have questions about donations, you can call 2-1-1 or email volunteer@unitedwaydgco.org.

Additional Resources

• Free Food Resources in Douglas County
• Chamber - Loal Business Directory for COVID-19
• Evergy Payment Options
• Black Hills Energy Coronavirus Information
• SBA Disaster Loan Information
• Douglas County/Rise Lawrence Disaster Response Fund - DCCF

Daily Updates Archive

Follow our Social Media for daily updates

• LDCPH Twitter
• LDCPH Facebook

Executive Orders/News Releases

• June 19, 2020: Douglas County to extend Phase 3 through July 5
• June 5, 2020: Positive COVID-19 case attended recent protest in downtown Lawrence
• May 22, 2020: Unified Command to transition to COVID-19 Recovery Coordination Team
• May 14, 2020: Douglas County Reopening Task Force to align with Governor’s phased plan
• May 12, 2020: Public Health operates COVID-19 testing site in east Lawrence
• May 8, 2020: More than 150 survey respondents reported unresolved COVID-19-related symptoms in late April
• May 8, 2020: Monitoring COVID-19 tests, cases by race ethnicity in Douglas County
• May 1, 2020: FAQs for Reopening Phase 3
• May 1, 2020: Libraries, in-house dining at restaurants in Douglas County to remain closed through May 17
• April 28, 2020: Second wave of COVID-19 symptoms population survey opens to Douglas County residents
• March 24, 2020: Governor issues temporary, statewide Stay Home order beginning March 30 - Executive Order No. 20-16
• March 17, 2020: First case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) identified in Douglas County
• March 17, 2020: Executive Order No. 20-07 - Closing K-12 schools to slow the spread of COVID-19