As its sole regular agenda item, the Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will discuss a possible extension of the countywide mask mandate for kids put into place last month.
The order requires children from ages 2-11 to wear masks indoors in public spaces, including healthcare facilities and public transportation. It includes limited exceptions, such as medical conditions, religious services, or eating and drinking while seated at a restaurant.
County staff have posed two possible expiration dates for the extended mask order: 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 1 or on Dec. 22. The order originally went into effect on Aug. 19 after county commissioners were presented with a recommendation from local health officials. Public health staff recommended children who are still too young to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — and, therefore, at increased risk of being infected — continue to take precautions against COVID-19 in the face of contagious variants.
The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse, as well as virtually on Zoom. Residents can make live comment either in person or virtually. Written comments must be submitted by emailing rcrabtree@douglascountyks.org at least 24 hours before the meeting.
Read the mask order and the possible extension here. Read more background from the Times at this link.
There will also be a work session on the county’s facility masterplan, starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Find the full meeting agenda here.
See the latest COVID-19 stats for Lawrence and Douglas County on The Lawrence Times’ stat dashboard at this link.
Find out where you can get the free COVID-19 vaccine at this link.
More coverage: COVID-19 in K-12
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Suzanne Perez / Kansas News Service
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