Johnson County Public Health Officer Dr. Joseph LeMaster signed an extension of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s ’s stay-at-home order through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, May 10. The state’s order expires May 3. A phased reopening of business is planned to begin May 11. This order impacts the entirety of the Spring Hill city limits in both Johnson and Miami counties.

Gov. Kelly will deliver an address at 6:30 p.m. on her administration’s official plan to reopen Kansas.

LeMaster said that the goal of the stay-at-home order has not changed, as the timing is focused on preventing undoing all that has been accomplished in terms of the trajectory of the disease. Johnson County has experienced positive trends in its case counts and other data.

“We are also keeping a close eye on nearby jurisdictions. We know that in typical times more than 250,000 people come in and out of the county daily. Our goal is to be aligned with our neighbors as much as we can to avoid increasing our transmission. Also, our local businesses need ample time to prepare for reopening,” Dr. LeMaster said.

Earlier this week, the Johnson County COVID-19 Recovery Planning Task Force presented recommendations for reopening the county. The board will consider the task force’s recommendations and the governor’s plan at its special meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, May 1.