By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays PostWhile the Ellis County Commission supports an individual's right to wear a mask, it does not support a mandate handed down by the governor
this week requiring all Kansans to wear a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The commission, serving as the county board of health, held
a special meeting Thursday afternoon in response to Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive
order requiring that all Kansans wear a mask in public spaces. The
commission voted unanimously to not require Ellis County residents to wear a mask.Ellis County Health Director Jason Kennedy told the commission that
while the requirement that all Kansans wear masks in public is an extremely divisive
issue, he does not serve a political party — only the Ellis County residents.“I’m not sure there are right answers,” Kennedy said. “I’m
not sure there is anything that is a perfect yes (or) no.”Kennedy said the mandate has to be viewed as a health
agenda, and that does not just include physical health, that also includes
mental, social and financial health. “There is no doubt that face masks work, in certain
situations and in certain places” Kennedy said. “Masks work inside a home where
you have close or high-population density. They work in areas of high viral load.”Kennedy said there are questions about what kind of impact
masks have in places like Ellis County. Places with low population density and with
“extremely low” community spread.“I think we should encourage, I think we should support and
I think we should allow businesses and individuals to make a choice to protect
themselves, the patrons of their business and those around them,” Kennedy. “Saying it’s OK to make your decision to wear a mask absolutely
should be universal across the board.”Kennedy also said when it comes to county’s response to the
pandemic, it would not require masks when in public.“We have eight active cases, we have zero hospitalizations
and, thankfully, we have zero deaths,” Kennedy said. “Our hospital capacity is
sufficient to handle anything that we have at this point.”Kennedy also pointed to the county’s positive test rate as
another reason not to mandate masks at this time.According to Kennedy, Ellis County’s positive test rate is only
1 percent — meaning only 1 percent of those people tested in Ellis County
have tested positive for coronavirus.The statewide average is approximately 8 percent. He said
health officials become concerned when the positive rate is nearing 10 percent.Ellis County Commissioner Dustin Roths said he would echo
Kennedy’s statement.“I would encourage anybody who wants to wear a mask, that
might be at risk, that may be around other people and not be able to social
distance for a period of time, feel free (to wear a mask),” Roths said. “We’d
actually probably encourage it.”All three commissioners said while they heard from a lot of
people on the issue, they were not in favor of mandating face masks.“If you feel threatened at all when you are out in public or
at a gathering, please do wear a mask,” said Commissioner Dean Haselhorst. “I
encourage you to do that.”There was one member of the community who addressed the
commission.Cheryl Duffy, addressed the commission while wearing a mask
and told the commission, “You can probably tell by my mask where I stand on
this issue.”Duffy told the commission, as a person who is at risk of
contracting the virus, that she does not feel safe shopping in Hays.She said she believes that the commission was saying they
will wait until there are a lot of cases of the coronavirus in Ellis County and
said, “that doesn’t seem smart to me.”Roths said he had two relatives that contracted the virus
and said they had no problems. “In Ellis County, we’ve been very lucky. We’re naturally socially
distanced because we don’t live on top of each other like New York City,” Roths
said.“I hope you feel, in Ellis County, you’re a lot safer than
you would be in an apartment building in Kansas City,” Roths said.Commissioner Butch Schyler said that the number of people who
contacted him that were opposed to the mask mandate was substantial.“They don’t want to be told that they have to wear it, that
sense of independence in this part of the country, people just thrive on,” said
Schlyer. “They don’t want to be dictated too and mandated too, especially by
some bureaucrat in the far-distant land.“I happen to be one of those people too,” said Schlyer.

Masks encouraged, but not required in Ellis County