Item

The Order That Wasn't: Kansas Executive Order 20-52

Media

Title (Dublin Core)

The Order That Wasn't: Kansas Executive Order 20-52

Description (Dublin Core)

As COVID-19 case numbers accelerated in Kansas in the summer of 2020, Governor Laura Kelly issued this executive order declaring that Kansans must wear masks in public spaces, especially in places where the 6-foot distance rule was not possible, beginning on Friday, July 3, 2020. However, this order proved empty, since it allowed for local county authorities to enforce it, with several counties, including Sedgwick, which is home to the state's largest city, Wichita, to either opt out of the order entirely, or declare it a "strong recommendation." This document reflects the partisan politics that stymied Kansas's COVID-19 response efforts, as Democratic Governor Kelly eventually relinquished her statewide executive authority to direct the anti-virus effort in favor of a decentralized, locally-driven patchwork response favored by the state GOP, which had earlier passed legislation to curb her executive powers and threatened lawsuits against what they perceived to be a gross over-reach of executive power.

Date (Dublin Core)

July 2, 2020

Creator (Dublin Core)

Office of the Governor of the State of Kansas

Contributor (Dublin Core)

Aaron Peterka

Partner (Dublin Core)

Northeastern University

Type (Dublin Core)

Text

Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)

English Government State
English Clothing & Accessories
English Government Local
English Politics

Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)

executive orders
Kansas
mask
health

Linked Data (Dublin Core)

A billboard that reads "Stay strong Wichita! We'll be back soon!"Stay Strong, Wichita

Date Submitted (Dublin Core)

07/02/2020

Date Modified (Dublin Core)

07/24/2020
10/02/2020

Item sets

Covid 19

This item was submitted on July 2, 2020 by Aaron Peterka using the form “Share Your Story” on the site “A Journal of the Plague Year”: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive

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