Johnson County officials essentially decided not to decide Thursday whether to continue the stay-at-home order until May 15, as Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has done. Instead, Johnson County will stick with the business closure and distancing rules until May 3 before deciding if a longer extension is necessary. The May 3 date coincides with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s order.
Commission Chairman Ed Eilert told commissioners meeting Thursday that he and Kansas City, Kan. Mayor David Alvey decided to diverge from the Kansas City, Mo. branch of the CORE 4, noting that the extension from the county’s previous April 23 end date would give officials time to collect data before deciding whether to continue the order another two weeks.
Some commissioners say they have been feeling pressured by residents who are in financial distress and want to see businesses reopen. Local hospitals have so far not been overwhelmed by cases as have other hard-hit areas of the country.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post)
