<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605910063583.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly said her decision to allow counties to enact their own form of mask mandate was made in response to concerns from county officials over a "one size fits all" approach. (Oct. 13 photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly said her decision to allow counties to enact their own form of mask mandate was made in response to concerns from county officials over a "one size fits all" approach. (Oct. 13 photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/20/gov-laura-kelly-pitches-flexibility-necessity-of-mask-mandate-to-kansas-health-officials/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly 
on Friday promoted the flexibility of her new statewide mask mandate in 
allowing county officials to best address the needs of their 
constituents as they work to curb the spread of COVID-19.There is growing concern 
among health experts that rapidly rising case numbers in tandem with 
Thanksgiving travel could overwhelm virus mitigation efforts. In 
response, some counties and health leaders around the state are already 
taking steps to limit gatherings or enforce mask-wearing.Kelly’s new executive 
order, which takes effect the day before Thanksgiving, grants county 
commissioners the option to accept the governor’s mandate, craft their 
own rules, or take public action to opt out. Kelly said she provided 
flexibility this time in response to concerns heard about a “one size 
fits all” approach in the governor’s July mask order.While Kelly acknowledged 
local leaders and health officers may be most familiar with their own 
community’s issues, she asked that counties encourage the use of face 
coverings.“Wearing a face covering 
does not inhibit your freedom or limit where we can go and what we can 
do — in fact just the opposite,” Kelly said. “Diligent use will allow us
 to keep our business open, to keep our kids in school, and to protect 
our kids in school.”Kelly and state health 
experts made the pitch for the mask mandate during a call Friday 
updating counties across the state on what some state departments are 
doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.As of Friday, the Kansas 
Department of Health and Environment has reported 1,410 deaths and 
134,353 infections since the start of the pandemic. That includes 5,939 
new cases and 84 deaths reported since Wednesday.With numbers rapidly 
rising and Thanksgiving on the horizon, Kelly expressed urgency in the 
need for counties to act on the new mandate. Local officials will have 
one week to pass their own ordinance before Kelly’s mask protocol is 
automatically implemented.The case for widespread mask-wearing also received a boost in the form of&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/20/cdc-publishes-research-showing-kansas-mask-mandates-helped-drive-down-covid-19-infections/" target="_blank">newly published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research</a>&nbsp;reaffirming the role mask mandates played in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Kansas’ largest counties.<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm?s_cid=mm6947e2_e&amp;ACSTrackingID=USCDC_921-DM42906&amp;ACSTrackingLabel=MMWR%20Early%20Release%20-%20Vol.%2069%2C%20November%2020%2C%202020&amp;deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM42906" target="_blank">The study</a>
 examined trends in 25 counties that upheld the governor’s July mask 
recommendation and the 80 counties that refused to do so. Findings 
estimated mask mandates prevented an estimated 8,600 infections and 
could have prevented 2,300 more in areas without an order.With hospitals and health 
care providers across the country becoming overwhelmed with staffing 
shortages and the spike in cases, KDHE secretary Lee Norman expressed 
his continued support for a mask order.“We have learned a lot 
about the virus itself, and we know that it is primarily spread through 
droplet transmission, so masks are our best line of defense,” Norman 
said. “Studies like this will help us to better understand the impact of
 policy decisions in our state.”Sedgwick County is part of
 the minority that currently has a mask mandate in place. As a medical 
hub for many neighboring counties, rising cases in those counties 
without mask mandates have been trickling into Sedgwick health care 
providers, especially in Wichita.Pete Meitzner, the 
Sedgwick County commission chairman, said as of last Monday, at least 23
 surrounding counties had a patient in a Wichita hospital. Most 
concerning, he said, is many of these counties are not adequately 
emphasizing the risks associate with COVID-19.“We can’t do this by 
ourselves without us all trying to help with whatever solution might 
help,” Meitzner said. “I want to be respectful for whatever you as a 
separate County choose to do, but just know that what you’re doing in 
your own county may be having a large impact in some of the areas like 
Johnson County and Sedgwick that are really economic engines for the 
state.”

Kelly pitches flexibility, necessity of mask mandate to Kan. health officials