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Douglas County leaders will consider extending the public health order that requires face coverings for those ages 2 and older inside public spaces in Douglas County.

As part of its meeting Wednesday, the Douglas County Commission will consider extending the health order for approximately another month, through Feb. 9. The commission could rescind or modify the order before that if deemed necessary.

Douglas County implemented the health order on Friday amid record-high numbers of new COVID-19 cases. Dr. Thomas Marcellino, local health officer, states in the proposed order that community mitigation strategies are necessary due to the continued influx of new cases and new virus strains, in order to address community spread of the disease and to ensure the capacity of health care resources is adequate to meet the need.

Like the emergency public health order issued last week, the proposed extension of the order applies to individuals and businesses or organizations and includes various exceptions. Those exceptions include people with certain medical conditions, people engaged in religious services, and restaurant customers who are seated and actively eating or drinking, among other exceptions. The full order is available as part of the agenda materials on the county’s website, douglascountyks.org.

In other business, the commission will:

• Consider approving a conditional use permit for the Eudora-area Hamm Quarry, 1232 East 2300 Road. Hamm has requested the addition of 160 acres to the quarry. The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission and the Eudora Planning Commission are recommending approval of the permit under several conditions, including a revised pond maintenance agreement, revised reclamation plan, revised conditions and restrictions of use, and the addition of a landscape plan to provide a buffer on the west side of the site, among other revisions.

•Consider finalizing an amendment to the county’s contract with Northeastern University in Boston, which the county and other local partners hired to investigate the racial breakdown of traffic stops and other law enforcement contact in the county. Commissioners previously approved extending the contract through the end of 2021, and the amendment increases the total dollar value for the study to $252,500.

The Douglas County Commission will convene at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the county courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. Residents can participate in the meeting in person, virtually or via phone, and more information about those options is available at douglascountyks.org/commission/meetings.