Kansas officials to provide information to small businesses via First Friday online session April 3

Heads of agencies will take part in K-State monthly program in light of COVID-19

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Officials of two lead Kansas agencies responding to the COVID-19 outbreak will provide information for small businesses online Friday, April 3 at 9:30 am, as part of K-State Research and Extension’s First Friday monthly webinar series. The call will be recorded and archived.

The session, to be conducted via Zoom, is free and open to anyone interested in resources available to the public, particularly small businesses and employees in Kansas affected by the global pandemic.

Speakers include:

• David Toland, Kansas Secretary of Commerce
• Delia Garcia, Kansas Secretary of Labor
• Laurel Klein Searles, Kansas Director of Unemployment Services

“Kansas has responded quickly to the concerns of small businesses and employees who have lost their livelihoods because of COVID-19,” said Nancy Knopp Daniels, community vitality specialist with K-State Research and Extension. “This call occurs every month in support of small business, but this month we have a special edition to highlight these response programs.”

She noted that a record 3.3 million Americans filed unemployment claims in the past week, which eclipsed the old record of 695,000 new claims in 1982.

To participate, go to https://ksu.zoom.us/j/2636377104; or One-Tap Mobile, + 13462487799,,2636377104#.

More information about First Friday e-Calls is available online or by contacting Daniels at 785-410-6352 or [email protected].

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.

Executive Order 20-16 makes Kansas 22^nd 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 22^nd 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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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.