28 Mar Governor Issues Statewide “Stay At Home” Order … Kansas Agribusiness Exempt
At 11 a.m., today, Governor Laura Kelly issued Executive Order #20-16 establishing a statewide “stay home” order effective 12:01 a.m., Monday, March 30, 2020 and is in conjunction with the previously developed Kansas Essentials Function Framework (KEFF) shared earlier this week. The KEFF is based on national critical function guidelines established for pandemic and other disaster response efforts.
The Governor’s Order directs all individuals within the state of Kansas to stay in their residences unless performing an essential activity including but not limited to: Performing, or going to or from work at a business or organization to perform, an essential function as identified in the Kansas Essential Function Framework (KEFF).
The KEFF includes businesses that maintain supply chains for essential functions and critical infrastructure as defined by a March 19, 2020 US Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) memorandum. The memorandum defines “agricultural storage facilities,” “agricultural inputs,” and biofuel facilities as critical infrastructure.
In addition, the order lists the following provisions:
- No individual leaving their home in order to perform an activity or function allowed under this order shall be required to carry or present any letter, identification card, or other paper proving that they are allowed to leave their home.
- No prior approval is required for individuals or entities to perform essential functions listed in the KEFF. Individuals or entities who are uncertain whether they perform functions exempted from the prohibitions of this order may email KEFF@ks.gov to determine whether their functions are deemed essential.
- All individuals performing essential functions authorized by this order must – to the extent possible without significant disruption to essential functions – use telework capabilities to avoid meeting in person; and any essential functions being performed on-site or in-person must – to the extent possible without significant disruption to essential functions – follow appropriate safety protocols, including maintaining a six-foot distance between individuals and following other directives regarding social distancing, hygiene and other efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
While this order is in effect, it supersedes all local “stay home” or similar orders. It remains in effect until April 19, 2020. Although provision A in the Governor’s Order above states, “no individual leaving their home in order to perform an activity or function allowed under this order shall be required to carry or present any letter, identification card, or other paper proving that they are allowed to leave their home,” we have drafted a template letter for you to download and modify in the event a situation arises you need verification.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this order, please do not hesitate to contact the association office by emailing Ron Seeber and/or Randy Stookey or calling 785-234-0463.