The Re-Opening has Begun--with Caution

How Millcreek will Follow the State's Re-Opening Plans

Full function...with individual responsible precaution

During the last two months of the stay-at-home orders issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Millcreek board of directors has met every two weeks via conference call. Much of our meetings have been spent trying to keep up with how the orders are affecting the club and its activities. The situation has seemed to change on almost a daily basis at times.

Based on the most recent developments, the board now considers Millcreek to be back to full operation, with some precautions advised.

Here's the latest:

• Apparently spurred by the Kansas legislature's passage of a bill to restrict her authority to unilaterally issue executive orders like the stay-at-home order, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly on May 27 rescinded her previous order forbidding public gatherings to occur without sufficient public health safeguards in place. Instead, her office announced, the plans to re-open public events and businesses will now be only voluntary "guidance." According to her office, the responsibility for imposing health, business and mass-gathering limits based on those guidelines will now be left up to county health officials.
• In response to the governor's decision, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners announced the same day it would "not impose additional limits, based on current conditions." Instead, both Johnson County Health Officer Joseph LeMaster and Johnson County Department of Health and Environment Director Sanmi Areola said they "strongly recommend" residents and businesses in the county follow the state's re-opening guidelines.

As a result, the Millcreek board considers all legal mandates to restrict public activity that govern the club have been lifted, and any activity is now being conducted under voluntary constraints. In response, the board has decided:

• The temporary restriction on members bringing guests who do not live in the same household with them has been rescinded, and the club's visitor policy has returned to normal (see No. 1 and 3 here).
• All ranges and club facilities are now open for normal use, with individual precautions. (See below.)
• The club event calendar is now back in operation, resuming normal scheduling of events and matches.

Minus any formal, legal restrictions from the state or county, the board believes that responsibility for following the governor's recommendations now falls upon event organizers and coordinators for events, and upon participating individuals for non-event use of the club. Governor Kelly's four-phase re-opening plan, which you can read in detail here, recommends the following precautions to continue containing the spread of the virus:

• Stay home if you’re sick.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Wear masks in public settings.
• Maximize physical distance (6 feet or more) in public settings.
• Avoid socializing with large groups.
• If you are in one of the groups identified as being at high risk of being harmed by coronavirus infection, only leave your house for essential needs.
• Minimize nonessential travel.
• Check in (via phone/letter/text/email) with friends and family who are isolated.

Throughout this pandemic, the board has taken the public health executive orders seriously, regardless of personal opinion. Going forward, the board continues to take the risk of disease related to the virus seriously, and urges all individuals and group organizers to continue to follow the preventive guidelines as they see fit in order to protect themselves and event participants.

For questions or comments, email President Dick Cooper here.