As an organization, the City of Merriam will continue to follow guidelines from Gov. Laura Kelly’s Ad Astra: Plan to Reopen Kansas and will remain in Phase 2. This means City facilities (Merriam City Hall, the Irene B. French Community Center, and Public Works) will remain closed to the public.
The governor’s office continues to provide coronavirus data from across the state and will recommend when to move through the plan’s phases.
Background
On May 26, Kelly vetoed House Bill 2054 passed by Kansas lawmakers that affected the executive branch’s emergency power during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state was in Phase 2, but, with the vetoed bill, the Ad Astra plan is now only guidance to county health officers, who can impose health, business, and large gathering limits. Kelly signed a new 15-day state disaster declaration that began May 27 to extend some, but not all, of her previous emergency orders, which were set to expire at midnight on June 10.
Read the governor’s statement.
On May 27, Johnson County Health Officer Dr. Joseph LeMaster and Johnson County Department of Health and Environment Director Dr. Sanmi Areola said they “strongly recommend” businesses continue to follow the state’s Ad Astra plan. Read their response.
On May 28, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners voted to not impose any new restrictions and said businesses are “expected” to follow the state’s Ad Astra plan, but they can voluntarily continue to follow any phase or no phase at all. View the meeting.
