Category Archives: Government

Kansas Public COVID 19 Update for March 28

For more information: www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus
2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kansas Test Results
Updated 3/28/20 at 10 a.m.

Total Positive Cases
261
Private Labs
183
Kansas Health and Environmental Lab (KHEL)
78

Deaths (included in above numbers)
5

Out-of-State Resident Positive Cases*
(not counted in Kansas numbers)
2

Total Negative Cases for Kansans
3,671

Positive Case Information
County Number

Bourbon
3
Jackson
1
Osage
1
Butler
3
Jefferson
1
Ottawa
1
Cherokee
2
Johnson
80
Pottawatomie
1
Clay
1
Leavenworth
15
Reno
5
Coffey
5
Linn
4
Riley
1
Crawford
3**
Lyon
4
Sedgwick
33
Doniphan
1
McPherson
1
Shawnee
7
Douglas
23**
Mitchell
2
Sumner
1
Franklin
6
Morris
2
Woodson
1
Gove
1
Neosho
1
Wyandotte
53
Harvey
1
*Ford and Miami Counties reported positive cases in out-of-state residents.
**1 case in Douglas and 2 cases in Crawford are presumptive positive at a reference lab, but were not confirmed through the KDHE lab, so are included in the county numbers, but not in the overall state total or demographics at this time.

Demographics
Gender

Female
127

Male
134

Age Range
Age range on patients is 7 to 95 years of age, with a median age of 53.

Hospitalized
50 hospitalizations to date reported*
* this is a cumulative number, based on 175 cases where information is available.

Governor Kelly issues temporary, statewide Stay Home order in ongoing effort to combat COVID-19


Executive Order 20-16 makes Kansas 22nd state to issue statewide stay-home measure

 

As part of ongoing efforts to limit the spread of novel coronavirus in Kansas, today Governor Laura Kelly issued Executive Order 20-16, making Kansas the 22nd state in the nation to institute a temporary, statewide stay-home order. It will exist in conjunction with the Kansas Essential Function Framework for COVID-19 response efforts and will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 30. The measure will be in place at least until Sunday, April 19.

“Our modeling continues to suggest that the number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases in Kansas could reach as high as 900 over the next week,” Kelly said. “While I left these decisions to local health departments as long as possible, the reality is that the patchwork approach that has developed is inconsistent and is a recipe for chaos and, ultimately, for failure in our statewide fight to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Under Executive Order 20-16, Kansans are directed to stay home unless performing one of the following essential activities:

 

  • Obtaining food, medicine and other household necessities;
  • Going to and from work at a business or organization performing an essential function as identified in the Kansas Essential Function Framework;
  • Seeking medical care;
  • Caring for children, family members or pets, or caring for a vulnerable person in another location;
  • Engaging in an outdoor activity, provided individuals maintain a distance of six feet from one another and abide by the 10-person limitation on gathering size.

 

“I know this is hard, and I can’t tell you how much I wish it weren’t necessary,” Kelly said. “But we have a small window to ensure that Kansas does not suffer the same terrible fate of other hard-hit states like New York and Missouri. We’ve all got to do our part to help stop the spread of the disease. Stay home. Stay Safe.”

In a public address to Kansans on Saturday morning, Kelly explained that this action became necessary for three key reasons:

 

  • To provide statewide uniformity in response efforts;
  • To prevent overwhelming hospitals – especially rural hospitals – who may not have the same capacity to handle an influx of COVID-19 patients;
  • To buy Kansas more time as the state officials work with federal partners to secure badly needed protective personal equipment (PPE), additional ventilators and COVID-19 testing supplies.

 

Kelly also commended federal efforts in recent days to support state and local response efforts in the form of an historic emergency relief package. More details about implications the federal stimulus bill will have for Kansas will be released as they become available.

 

The executive order can be viewed here: https://governor.kansas.gov/newsroom/executive-orders/

 

Please visit kdheks.gov/coronavirus for additional virus-related information, and visit getkansasbenefits.gov for federal stimulus benefits updates or to file for Unemployment Insurance benefits.

 

KDHE adds states to travel quarantine list:Louisiana and Colorado

 

Louisiana and Colorado

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has added two new states to the quarantine list: Louisiana and Colorado. Previously, just certain counties in Colorado were included. This is effective for persons returning today, March 27, and moving forward.

A comprehensive list of those Kansans needing to quarantine for 14 days includes those who have:

  • Traveled to Louisiana or anywhere in Colorado on or after March 27.
  • Traveled to a state with known widespread community transmission (California, Florida, New York and Washington state) on or after March 15.
  • Traveled to Illinois or New Jersey on or after March 23.
  • Visited Eagle, Summit, Pitkin and Gunnison counties in Colorado in the week of March 8 or after.
  • Traveled on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15.
    • People who have previously been told by Public Health to quarantine because of their cruise ship travel should finish out their quarantine.
  • Traveled internationally on or after March 15.
    • People who have previously been told by Public Health to quarantine because of their international travel to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran should finish out their quarantine.
  • Received notification from public health officials (state or local) that you are a close contact of a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19. You should quarantine at home for 14 days since your last contact with the case.  (A close contact is defined as someone who has been closer than 6 feet for more than 10 minutes while the patient is symptomatic.)

Important Note: These mandates do not apply to critical infrastructure sectors needed to continue operations during this pandemic. Public health, including hospitals, clinics, etc. need to have the staffing resources to continue serving Kansans. While KDHE strongly recommends these quarantine restrictions for everyone, we do recognize that medical care needs to continue and no healthcare facility should ever be to a point where it would need to close due to staff being quarantined. We ask facilities to ensure they have updated their Emergency Preparedness Plans and implement protocols to ensure that no employee comes to work symptomatic. Other examples of critical infrastructures include pharmaceutical and food supply, along with others defined by the Department of Homeland Security.

For more information, please visit the KDHE website at www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus. KDHE has a phone bank that is staffed Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. The phone number is 1-866-534-3463 (1-866-KDHEINF). KDHE also has an email address for general inquiries, [email protected].  Please note these contacts are for general questions and cannot provide you with medical evaluations. If you are feeling ill, please stay home and call your healthcare provider.

March 27, 2020 Public Update COVID-19

For more information: www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus
2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kansas Test Results
Updated 3/27/20 at 8 a.m.

Total Positive Cases
202
Private Labs
135
Kansas Health and Environmental Lab (KHEL)
67
Deaths (included in above numbers)
4

Out-of-State Resident Positive Cases*
(not counted in Kansas numbers)
2

Total Negative Cases for Kansans
3,229

Positive Case Information
County Number

Bourbon
3
Jackson
1
Osage
1
Butler
3
Jefferson
1
Ottawa
1
Cherokee
2
Johnson
66
Pottawatomie
1
Clay
1
Leavenworth
12
Reno
5
Coffey
1
Linn
4
Riley
2
Crawford
3**
Lyon
3
Sedgwick
20
Doniphan
1
McPherson
1
Shawnee
5
Douglas
14*
Mitchell
2
Sumner
1
Franklin
2
Morris
2
Woodson
1
Gove
1
Neosho
1
Wyandotte
43
Harvey
1
*Ford and Miami Counties reported positive cases in out-of-state residents.
**1 case in Douglas and 2 cases in Crawford are presumptive positive at a reference lab, but were not confirmed through the KDHE lab, so are included in the county numbers, but not in the overall state total or demographics at this time.

Demographics
Gender

Female
97
Male
105

Age Range
Age range on patients is 7 to 90 years of age, with a median age of 53.
Hospitalized
27 hospitalizations to date reported*
* this is a cumulative number, based on 135 cases where information is available.

March 26, 2020 Public Update COVID-19

For more information: www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus
2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kansas Test Results
Updated 3/26/20 at 11 a.m.

Total Positive Cases
168
Private Labs
111
Kansas Health and Environmental Lab (KHEL)
57
Deaths (included in above numbers)
3
Out-of-State Resident Positive Cases*
(not counted in Kansas numbers)
2

Total Negative Cases for Kansans
2,869
Positive Case Information
County Number

Bourbon
1
Mitchell
2
Butler
3
Morris
2
Cherokee
2
Neosho
1
Crawford
3**
Pottawatomie
1
Doniphan
1
Reno
4
Douglas
13*
Riley
1
Franklin
1
Sedgwick
16
Jackson
1
Shawnee
4
Johnson
59
Sumner
1
Leavenworth
12
Woodson
1
Linn
4
Wyandotte
34
Lyon
3
*Ford and Miami Counties reported positive cases in out-of-state residents.
**1 case in Douglas and 2 cases in Crawford are presumptive positive at a reference lab, but were not confirmed through the KDHE lab, so are included in the county numbers, but not in the overall state total or demographics at this time.

Demographics
Gender

Female
78

Male
90

Age Range
Age range on patients is 7 to 90 years of age, with a median age of 54.

Connecting Communities

Carla Nemecek is Southwind District Director and agent.

Do you belong to a committee, board, club or other organization who needs to discuss important issues while trying to respect social distancing guidelines? Until groups of 10 or more can meet face-to-face, the Southwind Extension District can help you by remotely connecting individuals who need to plan and discuss issues important to our communities.

 

This is an on-demand service, so please call the Southwind Extension District at 620-365-2242 or email [email protected] to establish the details for your meeting, and we will be happy to assist you. This technology is available to anyone who utilizes a computer, smart phone or land-line phone and wants to connect for community purposes. Best of all, there is no cost to utilize this service!

 

The Extension mission continues, and the Southwind Extension District is committed to being innovative to connect you with research-based resources and education. We appreciate your patience as we all encounter the challenges, and we look forward to assisting you with research-based information and services that will help you navigate these unprecedented times.

 

For more information, you can find the Southwind Extension District on Facebook, and on our website at www.southwind.ksu.edu for information important to Allen, Bourbon, Neosho and Woodson Counties.

 

Carla Nemecek
Southwind Extension District
Director & Agent
[email protected]
620-365-2242
1 North Washington, Iola, KS 66749

Official Statement from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

 

 

Public Visitation

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis and remains vigilant in implementing appropriate safety protocols to ensure public use areas remain safe and open to the public.

 

In counties with local Stay At Home mandates, KDWPT will work with local officials regarding any other restrictions. State parks, state fishing lakes and wildlife areas remain open.

 

License Fees

KDWPT is not currently considering waiving fishing license fees. KDWPT is funded solely from the sale of licenses and permits, and that funding is crucial to keeping gates and facilities open and law enforcement in place.

 

“During this time of unprecedented changes, there is value in those things that can stay consistent,” said Secretary Brad Loveless. “We’re committed to keeping Kansas’ state parks, state fishing lakes and wildlife areas open so that Kansans can continue to safely enjoy the outdoors. To achieve this, we must keep game wardens, public land managers, and park staff working in the field.”

KDHE and KDA recommend voluntary reduction in burning

 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic currently impacting all states, including Kansas, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Agriculture strongly encourage all land owners and managers to voluntarily reduce the number of acres that they intend to burn this spring.

“With the potential for this pandemic overwhelming the state’s medical facilities, any additional respiratory concerns that could be produced from breathing smoke from prescribed fire need to be mitigated,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said.

Common health problems related to smoke can include burning eyes, runny nose, coughing and illnesses such as bronchitis. Individuals with respiratory issues, including COVID-19, pre-existing heart or lung diseases, children and the elderly may experience worse symptoms.

With resources of the county emergency response staff already being taxed with COVID-19 response, it is important to minimize responses that would come with prescribed fire activity.

It is critical that land managers in areas included in the Smoke Model available online at ksfire.org consult the model if they do choose to burn. The model indicates the level at which a burn would contribute to urban area air quality problems. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam urges land managers to refrain from burning, especially if your area is predicted in the large (red) contribution range.

“Prescribed burning is a valuable land management tool in the efforts to fight invasive species and maximize land productivity, and this request should not be interpreted as an indictment of the practice of burning,” Beam said. “However, the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic have created a situation that calls for reducing burned acres this spring.”

For the latest information related to COVID-19, and to sign up for daily updates sent to your email inbox, visit the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s COVID-19 Resource Center at www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus.

###

 

Governor announces appointments to the Kansas Agricultural Remediation Board

 

 

Governor Laura Kelly appointed Jodi Guetterman, Kevin Dieckmann and reappointed Kamyar Nikoomanesh to the Kansas Agricultural Remediation Board.

 

The Board administers the Kansas Agricultural Remediation Fund and the remediation reimbursement program.

 

“Remediation is an important tool for production agriculture, public health, and environmental stewardship,” Kelly said. “The Board serves the important purpose of reimbursing Kansas farmers for these expenses, and I know that these appointees will work diligently to do so.”

 

Guetterman, Bucyrus, has been appointed to the seat reserved for agricultural producers.

 

Dieckmann, Olathe, has been appointed to the specialty chemical distributor seat.

 

Nikoomanesh, Lenexa, has been reappointed to the seat reserved for agricultural processors, and was also appointed as Chair of the board.

Governor announces appointments to the Kansas State Fair Board

 

 

Governor Laura Kelly appointed John Bottenberg to the Kansas State Fair Board, and reappointed Harmon Bliss, Nick Ketzner and Robert Atkisson.

 

The purpose of the Board is to promote and showcase Kansas agriculture, industry and culture; to create opportunity for commercial activity; and to provide an educational and entertaining experience that is the pride of all Kansans.

 

“The Fair provides tremendous opportunities for commerce, entertainment and education in Kansas each year,” Kelly said. “I feel confident that these appointees will ensure the success of the Fair through their service on the Board.”

 

Bottenberg, Topeka, served on the board previously and was appointed to an at-large seat. He is a former state representative.

 

Bliss, Jetmore, is the current Board president and was reappointed to the seat reserved for a representative from the southwest agriculture extension district.

 

Ketzner, Bird City, was reappointed to the northwest agriculture extension district seat.

 

Atkisson, Stockton, was reappointed to the seat reserved for a representative from the Kansas Fairs Association.

March 25, 2020 Public Update COVID-19

For more information: www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus
2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kansas Test Results
Updated 3/25/20 at 11 a.m.

Total Positive Cases
126

Private Labs
77
Kansas Health and Environmental Lab (KHEL)
49

Deaths (included in above numbers)
3

Out-of-State Resident Positive Cases*
(not counted in Kansas numbers)
2

Total Negative Cases for Kansans
2,360

Positive Case Information
County Number

Bourbon
1
Linn
2
Butler
3
Lyon
2
Cherokee
2
Mitchell
2
Crawford
1
Morris
2
Doniphan
1
Neosho
1
Douglas
10
Pottawatomie
1
Franklin
1
Reno
2
Jackson
1
Sedgwick
11
Johnson
44
Woodson
1
Leavenworth
11
Wyandotte
27
*Ford and Miami Counties reported positive cases in out-of-state residents.

Demographics
Gender

Female
54
Male
72

Age Range
Age range on patients is 7 to 90 years of age, with a median age of 51.

KDOT extends deadline for harvesting right of way permits

 

 

For landowners wanting to harvest hay on Kansas highway right of way, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced that the deadline for permits to be issued will be extended to May 1. The extension is necessary because KDOT staff will not be in the office to accept applications until early April to follow Gov. Laura Kelly’s directive to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

 

Those with land adjacent to the right of way will be given permit priority from Jan. 1 until May 1. After May 1, permits to harvest will be issued in the order in which they are received. The permits will expire Sept. 30.

 

Hay harvesting on right-of-way along state and federal highways without a permit is illegal and is trespassing, according to KDOT.

 

Permits can be canceled at any time by either party and all operations shall be in accordance with requirements and guidelines set by KDOT. Any person, firm or corporation wanting to mow or bale hay will need to submit a permit application to the KDOT office in their area. No hay harvesting will take place along Interstates, and access to any right of way shall be determined by KDOT.

 

For additional information, contact your local KDOT office listed below; or call the KDOT Bureau of Maintenance in Topeka at (785) 296-3576.

 

Northeast Kansas

Topeka, (785) 296-2291

Horton, (785) 486-2142

Olathe, (913) 942-3100

Bonner Springs, (913) 942-3040

Wamego, (785) 456-2353

North Central Kansas

Salina, (785) 823-3754

Clay Center, (785) 632-3108

Mankato, (785) 378-3166

Marion, (620) 382-3717

Ellsworth, (785) 472-4447

Northwest Kansas

Norton, (785) 877-3315

Phillipsburg, (785) 543-2163

Atwood, (785) 626-3258

Hays, (785) 625-9718

Oakley, (785) 672-3113

Southeast Kansas

Chanute, (620) 902-6400

Iola, (620) 901-6555

Garnett, (785) 433-6100

Independence, (620) 577-7310

Pittsburg, (620) 308-7610

South Central Kansas

Hutchinson, (620) 663-3361

Pratt, (620) 672-7494

El Dorado, (316) 321-3370

Winfield, (620) 705-6389

Great Bend, (620) 793-5408

Wichita, (316) 744-1271

Southwest Kansas

Garden City, (620) 765-7074

Syracuse, (620) 384-7821

Ulysses, (620) 356-1531

Dodge City, (620) 682-7905