KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday she is considering taking the state back to Phase 2 of the Ad Astra Plan based on the state’s COVID-19 case numbers.
Phase 2 would limit mass gathering to 15 or fewer people and close bars and nightclubs.
41 Action News data analysis shows there are more than 26,000 COVID-19 cases in the state of Kansas, with 852 new cases reported Monday.
Kelly pointed to the Kansas City metro specifically, noting the area added more than 400 new cases per day for four days in a row. In the state as a whole, 103 of 105 counties have at least one COVID-19 case.
If the upward trajectory continues, Kelly said she “will have no other choice” than to recommend returning to Phase 2.
“I do not want to work backwards. We can and we must do better,” Kelly said. “We cannot pretend this virus is disappearing, with the summer heat, and we cannot pretend it doesn't hurt Kansans, because it does.”
The governor urged elected leaders in her state to take action, saying the pandemic is not a partisan issue. She pointed to the Republican governors of Ohio and Indiana, who recently signed mask mandates.
“That’s what real leaders do. They take action,” Kelly said.
Kelly said she and her team will monitor the situation this week, and will make a decision on possibly issuing another executive order next week.
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