Local health officer Dr. Garold Minns spoke to the Sedgwick County Commission Wednesday. During the meeting, Commissioner David Dennis asked the doctor what the end game is regarding the current local health orders, which are set to expire on March 20.
Dr. Minns says he's been encouraged by recent trends, which has seen the positivity rate drop to around 3.5 percent, along with fewer hospital admissions. He says if those trends continue, some of restrictions in the health order could be relaxed. He stated that any decision won't be a political one and would be made by closely examining the latest trends and by consulting with local and national experts.
Dr. Minns added that even if several parts of the order were relaxed, he'd be reluctant to lift restrictions on social distancing and mask wearing. He says the virus has “fooled me before” and would hate to have to pivot back to more restrictions.