City of Hays
On Wednesday, the Ellis County Health Department announced the seven-day average of new cases per day to be two. This marks the 14th consecutive day that Ellis County has reported an average of 5 or fewer cases per day.
Accordingly, the City of Hays' requirement for face coverings is now rescinded. Any and all signage referring to the City’s face covering requirement can now be discarded.
While the City of Hays' face covering requirement has expired, the state’s mask mandate remains in effect until the statewide State of Disaster Emergency relating to COVID-19 mitigation measures expires.
"It’s my understanding the Ellis County Commission did not choose to opt out. Therefore, they remain under the governor’s mask mandate," said Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty on Monday in an interview with Hays Post.
"There’s nothing in effect at the county level. The county didn’t take action to impose anything. They just chose not to opt out on what was being imposed at the state level."
Businesses and other entities open to the public can still require customers to wear face coverings in order to enter their premises.
"They have the right to say you need to come in here wearing a mask," Dougherty explained.
"Even if the governor's mask order goes away, there could be corporate or even businesses at the local level that will require masks for entry to the businesses. That's their right."
More information about the Governor’s Executive Order requiring masks can be found at https://governor.kansas.gov/.
Click HERE for more on the expiration of the city's mask ordinance.
— Hays Post contributed to this report.