Kansas county ponders new mask mandate; COVID claims officer

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Health officials in one of Kansas’ most populous counties are talking again about the possibility of imposing a local mask mandate over COVID-19 after one for children expired last week. The interest in a new mask mandate in Douglas County comes as the state continues to see relatively high numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. County health department Director Dan Partridge told the Lawrence Journal-World that he, the county administrator and the CEO of the local health system plan to meet next week and the question of imposing a new mask mandate is sure to come up. The Douglas County Commission would decide whether to impose a new mask mandate.