As 2021 begins, health officials and elected leaders in Kansas are reflecting on the lessons learned so far about the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Laura Kelly said the pandemic showed Kansas that a "patchwork" response does not work. She closed schools in mid-March and late that month issued a statewide stay-at-home order that remained in place for five weeks. A law approved in June by the Republican-controlled Legislature gave the state's 105 counties the authority to opt out of Kelly's orders. She argued recently that she was forced to accept local control to keep a state of emergency for the pandemic in effect.
