Statewide stay-home order issued by governor

In an effort to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Governor Laura Kelly issued an executive order on Saturday instituting a statewide stay-at-home order that began at 12:01 a.m. today and will be in place until at least April 19.
Under the order, all Kansans are directed to stay in their homes or residences unless performing an essential activity.
An activity is essential if the purpose of the activity is one of the following:
• Obtaining food, medicine and other household necessities.
• Performing or going to or from work at a business or organization to perform an essential function as identified in the Kansas Essential Function Framework (KEFF).
• Seeking medical care.
• Caring for children (including daycare or childcare center), family members or pets, or caring for a vulnerable person in another location.
• Engaging in outdoor activity, provided individuals maintain a distance of six feet from one another and abide by the 10-person limit on gathering size.
• Nothing in this order or any other executive order, including Executive Order 20-14, prevents families from gathering privately.
“I know this is hard, and I can't tell you how much I wish it weren't necessary,” Kelly said, “But we have a small window to ensure that Kansas does not suffer some terrible fate of other hard-hit states like New York and Missouri. We've all got to do our part to help stop the spread of the disease. Stay Safe.”
Kelly explained that the action became necessary to provide statewide uniformity in response efforts; to prevent overwhelming hospitals, especially rural hospitals, who may not have the same capacity to handle the influx of COVID-19 patients and to buy Kansas more time as state officials work with federal partners to secure badly needed protective personal equipment, additional ventilators and COVID-19 testing supplies.
Businesses considered essential are identified by KEFF.
"If there are businesses who feel they should be exempt from the governor's stay-at-home order, they need to contact the Governor's office and fill out a Kansas Essential Functions Framework (KEFF) application form,” Cloud County Emergency Preparedness/Safety Director James Quillen said.
The governor's office will review the application and make a determination, which is then passed down to the appropriate county for review. Each county is able to evaluate the ruling and object to its findings, if they deem the objections relevant.
Application forms are available at https://governor.kansas.gov/keff/.
All essential business that are allowed to remain open must follow safe-distancing protocols and have a plan in place in case one of their workers tests positive for the coronavirus.
"If businesses are not following the safe-distance guidelines, and someone tests positive at work, anyone considered a close contact with the infected person will have to be quarantined." Brandi Bray, Cloud County Health Department administrator, said.
No letter, identification card or other paper is required for Kansas residents to leave their home in order to perform an activity or function allowed under the order. Law enforcement officers enforcing the order should use their discretion and consider the totality or the circumstances as they determine enforcement action.
"There's been a lot of confusion that people have to have paperwork," said Concordia Police Chief Ric Fredrickson. "They don't. We're not going to be pulling people over to see where they're going. It will be business as usual. If someone is speeding or runs a light, we'll pull them over. We'll ask the typical questions. We'll ask for their drivers license."
Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the officers of the Concordia police department are taking extra precautions.
"This is just an added concern for what we normally deal with," Fredrickson said. "We've always had safety concerns, so this is something that the officers will be able to deal with."
The added precautions include police officers wearing gloves, masks if needed, and protective eyewear. If they come in contact with an individual who appears to be ill, the officers will ask relevant questions for the safety of everyone involved. Officers do arrest individuals for a variety of violations, so the patrol cars and police building itself are constantly cleaned and disinfected.
"The main thing I want to pass on to people is this: don't panic. This is uncharted waters for all of us. Nobody imagined something like this would happen. So don't get caught up in all the disinformation out there. If everyone does what they're supposed to do, what the experts tell us all to do, we'll get through this. We might have some tough times ahead, but we'll make it through."
As of Monday morning, there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cloud County.
Bray said that several more COVID-19 tests were administered over the weekend, and they are awaiting the results.