TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday announced that she’s imposing a mask mandate for Kansas state government workers and visitors to state buildings in the wake of a “self-inflicted” surge in new COVID-19 cases fueled by the faster-spreading delta variant.
Kelly’s announcement came after a central Kansas school district mandated masks in its building and public health officials in two of the state’s most populous counties recommended that even vaccinated residents wear masks in at least some indoor public spaces. And all of the developments were in response to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changing its guidance on masks because of the delta variant.
The CDC now recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in places where the coronavirus is surging, and under its guidelines, those recommendations would apply to 84 of the state’s 105 counties.