Gov. Laura Kelly is expecting to decide as early as late Thursday whether the state will move into the second phase of her plan for reopening the state’s economy.
Kelly said she could make a decision about moving to the second phase as early as late Thursday or early Friday with the second phase deadline fast approaching.
Kelly’s plan for getting the state moving again started May 4 when she lifted the statewide stay-at-home order that had been in place since March 30.
The first phase allowed retail stores to reopen as well as restaurants with certain limits.
Nontribal casinos, pools, theaters, museums, gyms, nail salons, barber shops and hair salons were not allowed to reopen until the second phase, which was set to start no earlier than May 18.
Fairs, festivals, carnivals, parades and graduations as well as public and private summer camps cannot operate until the third phase is reached, which is set for no earlier than June 1.
Kelly has indicated that her plan could evolve to adjust for the dynamics of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, Kelly said her team is studying the situation to decide how to proceed.
“We have been having conversations,” Kelly told the state Finance Council Wednesday.
“We are reviewing the data on hospitalizations, on testing, on tracing and all of that,” she said.
“We’re also looking at what’s been happening in other states, what’s been happening overseas and reviewing all of that,” she said.
Republican lawmakers have been urging the governor to reopen the state in order to get the economy moving again and allow businesses to reopen.
House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins pressed Kelly for details about how she will reach that decision.
Hawkins asked the governor for more details about moving into the second phase.
“It would certainly be nice if we understood when that was going to happen and what metrics you use,” Hawkins said of moving to the second phase.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 7,468 confirmed cases of COVID-19, up from 5,245 on May 4.
There were 704 hospitalizations compared to 553 on May 4.
There were 164 deaths reported Wednesday compared to 136 on May 4.
