UPDATE: Kansas Governor’s Executive Order identifies framework for exemptions on local Stay-at-Home Orders
In our most recent action, our Douglas County Health Officer Dr. Thomas Marcellino on March 22 issued a Stay at Home order, that will take effect at 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, March 24. It matches recent ones issued in neighboring counties of the Kansas City area, including Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties.
The goal of the order is to direct individuals to stay at home so that together we might slow the rate of community spread of COVID-19 through intensified social distancing, except for essential services and activities. We recognize we will all need to work together to in these coming weeks, but we ask you to keep this goal in mind.
We know there are lots of questions, and you can read the order online and an FAQ that help define essential services and activities. If you see it there, then it is exempt from the order and fine. We ask that you keep in mind that we want the public to stay at home unless they need an essential service performed or work at a place that performs essential services, and their work cannot be done from home.
As a business, the best way to help our community is to answer your own questions, and our real ask is honoring the spirit of the order to encourage people to stay home outside of essential needs and services. Here is some general guidance, but look for more in the FAQ.
- If you are a business that has multiple uses or roles, for example, a convenience store, and if less than 20% of your business is an essential service, then you should consider yourself a not essential business.
- For businesses that supply products and services needed for people to work from home, we would interpret that to mean if you provide internet access or IT support to those who work from home.
- In the spirit of the order to promote social distancing, we encourage people who work from home to first take advantage of opportunities to procure things online and through direct delivery. And only when that is not available, actually show up at a store.
- Exempt industries include grocery stores, gas stations, health care providers, public services, pharmacies and manufacturing companies producing and supplying essential products and services.
- Essential businesses should take proactive measures to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements, including designated six-foot distances for employees and customers in line to maintain appropriate distance.
- We recognize this is a challenging time, but with full community cooperation, this proactive public health order can minimize the impact of COVID-19 in our community.
- Douglas County residents can also stay informed as information changes frequently. For more information visit LDCHealth.org/Coronavirus or douglascountyks.org/coronavirus or email info@ldchealth.org.