Kansas governor says fully vaccinated Kansans can drop masks, resume normal activities

Fully vaccinated Kansans no longer need to wear masks or socially distance, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday.

Kelly’s statement follows new guidelines the federal Centers for Disease Control issued earlier in the day stating that anyone two weeks past receiving their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can safely resume their pre-pandemic activities without masks.

In a statement Thursday, Kelly pitched the new guidance as a reason to get vaccinated.

“This announcement is welcome news, and a testament to the sacrifices Kansans have made over the last year,” Kelly said. “The sooner we are vaccinated - the sooner we get back to normal.”

Vaccinated Kansans, Kelly said, should still wear masks when required to at businesses, health care facilities and public transportation.

Kansas has not had a statewide mask mandate since early April, when GOP leaders in the Legislature voted to strike down Kelly’s order.

Local governments already had the power to opt-out of the statewide order. Several counties have repealed their mask mandates in the face of lawsuits since the state rule was rescinded.

Later on Thursday, the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment announced it too was adopting the CDC guidance.

“This is what we have been working toward. The science is clear — the vaccines are working,” Dr. Sanmi Areola, the department’s director, said in a statement. “We hope everyone age 12 and older takes advantage of this important tool to stay safe and end the pandemic.”

In statements Thursday, Sen. Roger Marshall and Rep. Sharice Davids applauded the CDC’s decision.

“This is commonsense guidance from the CDC and it brings us one giant step closer to ending the government’s restrictions on our freedoms, to throwing away our masks, and living life as free as we did before,” said Marshall, a Republican who had repeatedly called for the Biden administration to update its mask guidelines.

Davids, a Democrat, called for Kansans to follow the guidance and continue to wear masks until they are vaccinated.

“I look forward to getting across the finish line together,” she said.

The announcement of the new CDC guidelines for vaccinated people came the same day that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 90 new COVID clusters, including 27 at long-term care facilities, which KDHE blamed on un-vaccinated workers at the facilities.