TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 37&nbsp; to a total of 2025, the state health department reported Tuesday afternoon.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 37&nbsp; to a total of 2025, the state health department reported Tuesday afternoon.COVID-19 deaths increased to 107<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE<figure>
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KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

Two of the eight people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ellis County have been cleared by the Ellis County Health Department to end their quarantine, but the department continues to monitor the patients who still have active cases.

"We are still following up with them on a daily basis," Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy told Hays Post.

The department is also doing contact tracing to help mitigate the possibility of further cases and have been doing a daily update of cases around 5 p.m.

As more people recover from the virus, Kennedy said, they are able to resume daily activities without risk to others.

They "are no different than anybody else out there," he said.

"After people have recovered from the flu, we don't treat them any differently, where they are able to go back to what they were doing prior," Kennedy said. "This is the same kind of deal."

But with much still unknown about the virus, he said everyone should continue to follow the stay-at-home order and practice good social distancing.

"There are some things that we still don't know, but we have been into this thing since November," Kennedy said. "So we do have some fairly good idea of how this thing is going to interact, how it transmits among people. We do know some of the transmissibility data now. So we have some pretty good information about the virus."

With that information and with most people will only experience mild symptoms, he said conversations are shifting to how to protect high risk populations as plans to reopen businesses continue to be developed.

But moving past the pandemic will be in some way shaped by the availability of testing.

So far, Kennedy testing materials have kept up with demand.

"Really from the start of this, we have never turned people away in Ellis County for lack of testing material," he said. "We turned them away because they didn't have symptoms."

From the onset, he said, you had to met criteria set by the CDC and KDHE to be tested and you still need to be symptomatic for clinical testing.

There are four different types of testing, but right now the best one is the the quick swab test, Kennedy said. With that test, someone who is symptomatic will have a nose swab performed with the sample then sent to lab with results in 24 to 48 hours.

"The problem with using a test like that for opening up the economy is that test really only tells you 'today,'" he said.

To get a better view of how many people may have been exposed and have developed a potential, if temporary, immunity antibody testing is needed to do population studies.

"I'm hearing a big push for testing, but I'm not sure why," Kennedy. "I think that is the question that we need to get from the state level and the federal level, is why are we doing testing, why do we want this testing and what is our goal."

Knowing how many people have the virus today does not help the larger goal of reopening society, but a combination of other types of testing — including antibody testing that shows COVID-19 recovery even if previously undetected — may be used to reopen areas.

That helps to find of what level of exposure the whole community&nbsp; has had to the virus, rather than the individual and would be key to understanding herd immunity and the overall threat to at-risk populations.

While the department has shared information as required to the public about active cases in Ellis County, Kennedy said it is limited in what information can be released.

"We cautiously release information," he said.

HIPAA regulations regulate that no information can be released that can distinguish an individual.

That includes information that someone could reasonably use&nbsp; to track it back to an individual," Kennedy said.

He further said the community should not place blame on anyone who contracted the virus.

"This is not anyone's fault that they got this," Kennedy said. "We shouldn't allow others to ostracize or belittle or talk bad about people because of something that goes outside of their control."

"HIPAA doesn't allow us and, honestly, just being a good human being should not allow us to talk badly about others, because of something they can't control," Kennedy said.

He said anyone with contact with an individual will be contacted by the department and, if you have not been contacted, you are likely not at risk of contracting the virus from an individual who has an active case.

"What we can do is notify every single person that was impacted by this individual," Kennedy said. "We personally call and talk to every single person that was within 6 feet for greater than 10 minutes."

Any close contact of an individual while they are positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by the department, usually within 24 hours, Kennedy said.

They do that to "contain and isolate any type of spread," he said.

Kennedy said the best action right now is to maintain social distancing guidelines in place.

"Right now, we need everybody to continue to follow the governor's orders. We need you to protect yourself — wash your hands, not touch your eyes nose ears or mouth, and just eliminating that social contact. So, staying six feet away," Kennedy said.

So far, he said it appears measures in place are working.

"There is a light at the end of the tunnel," Kennedy said. "When we started this five weeks ago, all of these measures were to flatten the curve, so we didn't overwhelm our hospital system. The latest projections say as of the morning, if you look at healthdata.org, we show a surplus of almost 4,500 hospital beds in the state of Kansas."

<div><iframe title="First cases of COVID-19 in Ellis County in recovery" height="122" width="100%" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/y7pph-d9cd2b?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1&skin=3&btn-skin=101&auto=1&share=1&fonts=Helvetica&download=1&rtl=0&pbad=1"></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostTwo of the eight people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ellis County have been cleared by the Ellis County Health Department to end their quarantine, but the department continues to monitor the patients who still have active cases."We are still following up with them on a daily basis," Ellis County Health Services Director Jason Kennedy told Hays Post.The department is also doing contact tracing to help mitigate the possibility of further cases and have been doing a daily update of cases around 5 p.m.As more people recover from the virus, Kennedy said, they are able to resume daily activities without risk to others.They "are no different than anybody else out there," he said."After people have recovered from the flu, we don't treat them any differently, where they are able to go back to what they were doing prior," Kennedy said. "This is the same kind of deal."But with much still unknown about the virus, he said everyone should continue to follow the stay-at-home order and practice good social distancing."There are some things that we still don't know, but we have been into this thing since November," Kennedy said. "So we do have some fairly good idea of how this thing is going to interact, how it transmits among people. We do know some of the transmissibility data now. So we have some pretty good information about the virus."With that information and with most people will only experience mild symptoms, he said conversations are shifting to how to protect high risk populations as plans to reopen businesses continue to be developed.But moving past the pandemic will be in some way shaped by the availability of testing.So far, Kennedy testing materials have kept up with demand."Really from the start of this, we have never turned people away in Ellis County for lack of testing material," he said. "We turned them away because they didn't have symptoms."From the onset, he said, you had to met criteria set by the CDC and KDHE to be tested and you still need to be symptomatic for clinical testing.There are four different types of testing, but right now the best one is the the quick swab test, Kennedy said. With that test, someone who is symptomatic will have a nose swab performed with the sample then sent to lab with results in 24 to 48 hours."The problem with using a test like that for opening up the economy is that test really only tells you 'today,'" he said.To get a better view of how many people may have been exposed and have developed a potential, if temporary, immunity antibody testing is needed to do population studies."I'm hearing a big push for testing, but I'm not sure why," Kennedy. "I think that is the question that we need to get from the state level and the federal level, is why are we doing testing, why do we want this testing and what is our goal."Knowing how many people have the virus today does not help the larger goal of reopening society, but a combination of other types of testing — including antibody testing that shows COVID-19 recovery even if previously undetected — may be used to reopen areas.That helps to find of what level of exposure the whole community&nbsp; has had to the virus, rather than the individual and would be key to understanding herd immunity and the overall threat to at-risk populations.While the department has shared information as required to the public about active cases in Ellis County, Kennedy said it is limited in what information can be released."We cautiously release information," he said.HIPAA regulations regulate that no information can be released that can distinguish an individual.That includes information that someone could reasonably use&nbsp; to track it back to an individual," Kennedy said.He further said the community should not place blame on anyone who contracted the virus."This is not anyone's fault that they got this," Kennedy said. "We shouldn't allow others to ostracize or belittle or talk bad about people because of something that goes outside of their control."And he said it goes beyond regulations."HIPAA doesn't allow us and, honestly, just being a good human being should not allow us to talk badly about others, because of something they can't control," Kennedy said.He said anyone with contact with an individual will be contacted by the department and, if you have not been contacted, you are likely not at risk of contracting the virus from an individual who has an active case."What we can do is notify every single person that was impacted by this individual," Kennedy said. "We personally call and talk to every single person that was within 6 feet for greater than 10 minutes."Any close contact of an individual while they are positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by the department, usually within 24 hours, Kennedy said.They do that to "contain and isolate any type of spread," he said.Kennedy said the best action right now is to maintain social distancing guidelines in place."Right now, we need everybody to continue to follow the governor's orders. We need you to protect yourself — wash your hands, not touch your eyes nose ears or mouth, and just eliminating that social contact. So, staying six feet away," Kennedy said.So far, he said it appears measures in place are working."There is a light at the end of the tunnel," Kennedy said. "When we started this five weeks ago, all of these measures were to flatten the curve, so we didn't overwhelm our hospital system. The latest projections say as of the morning, if you look at healthdata.org, we show a surplus of almost 4,500 hospital beds in the state of Kansas."

🎤Two cases of COVID-19 in Ellis Co. in recovery; social distancing still needed to stop spread

WASHINGTON (AP) — A chorus of governors from both parties pushed back hard after President Donald Trump accused Democrats of playing “a very dangerous political game” by insisting there is a shortage of tests for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus</a>. The governors countered that the White House must do more to help states do the testing that’s needed before they can ease up on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ea4c17f541c7c63fac52941a6f43b885">stay-at-home orders</a>.

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the current federal effort “really is not good enough if we’re going to be able to start to open our economy. We cannot do that safely without the tests in place.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/4aac3a10664097f38633149367ac3928">Supply shortages</a>&nbsp;have stymied U.S. testing for weeks. The needs range from basic supplies like swabs and protective gear to highly specialized laboratory chemicals needed to analyze patient results. Hospitals, laboratories and state health departments report scouring the globe to secure orders, competing against each other and their peers abroad.

The governors’ plea for stepped-up coordination came Monday when the Trump administration again provided discordant messaging: Trump blasted state leaders on Twitter for being too dependent on federal government and said later that some governors just didn’t understand what they had, while Vice President Mike Pence assured governors the government was working around-the-clock to help them ramp up testing.

Pence sought to soften the administration’s message amid growing clamor from both parties for a national testing strategy to help secure testing swabs, chemical reagents and other crucial supplies.

“When it comes to testing, we’re here to help,” Pence told governors during a video conference from the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Associated Press obtained audio of the call.

Pence said the administration sent each state a detailed list Monday of testing capacity. But Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said much of the unused lab machinery listed for his state was in federal labs the state does not have access to. Pence said the administration has agreed to open up federal labs to help states.

Hogan announced Monday that the state had received 500,000 tests from South Korea — a “game-changing” deal negotiated by his wife, Yumi Hogan, who grew up outside Seoul.

“They want the states to take the lead, and we have to go out and do it ourselves, and so that’s exactly what we did,” Hogan said.

Trump didn’t take that lying down. In his daily briefing, he said some governors have “more capacity than they understand.”

“The governor of Maryland could have called Mike Pence, could have saved a lot of money,” Trump said. “I don’t think he needed to go to South Korea. He needed to get a little knowledge.”

In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said his state is working with another federal agency, the Food and Drug Administration, to find a source of reagent, the chemical used to analyze test results. “A lot of good things are going on, but we’re not there yet,” DeWine said.

Democratic Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said his state received 5,000 nasal swabs Monday from FEMA — evidence the federal government is listening. But he added, “It doesn’t get us far enough.”

In New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the states should take the lead on testing but it’s up to the federal government to help sort out supply chain issues facing testing manufacturers.

“What the states will run into is when you talk to those labs ... they buy machines and equipment from national manufacturers,” said Cuomo, who is expected to meet with Trump at the White House Tuesday. “And those labs can only run as many tests as the national manufacturers provide them chemicals, reagents and lab kits.”

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said, “We need the reagents, we need the test kits and I think that’s the sort of general cry from other states.”

As Pence spoke with the governors, Trump took to Twitter with a more combative tone than his vice president, complaining that the “radical left” and “Do Nothing Democrats” were playing politics with their complaints about a lack of tests.

“Now they scream ....‘Testing, Testing, Testing,’ again playing a very dangerous political game,” Trump tweeted. “States, not the Federal Government, should be doing the Testing - But we will work with the Governors and get it done.”

Public health experts say the country needs to dramatically increase its testing infrastructure if it is going to safely roll back restrictions and reopen businesses without risking a major spike in infections.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday that the country is currently running about 1.5 million to 2 million tests per week. But, “we really need to get up to, at least, you know, maybe two times that, three times that.”

The White House said the Pentagon is finalizing negotiations with a Maine medical company to ramp up production of nasal swabs under the Defense Production Act. An Ohio manufacturer of cotton swabs has also agreed to convert its facilities to allow for 10 million testing swabs per month.

Testing was an issue on Capitol Hill, too, where the administration and Congress were inching toward agreement on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/d4706859faf64bf3abd73419933c8ea2">an aid package of more than $450 billion&nbsp;</a>to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money. The deal is expected to add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing, as well.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587431279916.png" alt="President Trump shows reporters a news article during Monday's Coronavirus Task Force briefing" />
 <figcaption>President Trump shows reporters a news article during Monday's Coronavirus Task Force briefing</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A chorus of governors from both parties pushed back hard after President Donald Trump accused Democrats of playing “a very dangerous political game” by insisting there is a shortage of tests for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus</a>. The governors countered that the White House must do more to help states do the testing that’s needed before they can ease up on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ea4c17f541c7c63fac52941a6f43b885">stay-at-home orders</a>.Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said the current federal effort “really is not good enough if we’re going to be able to start to open our economy. We cannot do that safely without the tests in place.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587431487729.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly mentioned President Trump during Monday's press conference" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly mentioned President Trump during Monday's press conference</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://apnews.com/4aac3a10664097f38633149367ac3928">Supply shortages</a>&nbsp;have stymied U.S. testing for weeks. The needs range from basic supplies like swabs and protective gear to highly specialized laboratory chemicals needed to analyze patient results. Hospitals, laboratories and state health departments report scouring the globe to secure orders, competing against each other and their peers abroad.The governors’ plea for stepped-up coordination came Monday when the Trump administration again provided discordant messaging: Trump blasted state leaders on Twitter for being too dependent on federal government and said later that some governors just didn’t understand what they had, while Vice President Mike Pence assured governors the government was working around-the-clock to help them ramp up testing.Pence sought to soften the administration’s message amid growing clamor from both parties for a national testing strategy to help secure testing swabs, chemical reagents and other crucial supplies.“When it comes to testing, we’re here to help,” Pence told governors during a video conference from the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Associated Press obtained audio of the call.Pence said the administration sent each state a detailed list Monday of testing capacity. But Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said much of the unused lab machinery listed for his state was in federal labs the state does not have access to. Pence said the administration has agreed to open up federal labs to help states.Hogan announced Monday that the state had received 500,000 tests from South Korea — a “game-changing” deal negotiated by his wife, Yumi Hogan, who grew up outside Seoul.“They want the states to take the lead, and we have to go out and do it ourselves, and so that’s exactly what we did,” Hogan said.Trump didn’t take that lying down. In his daily briefing, he said some governors have “more capacity than they understand.”“The governor of Maryland could have called Mike Pence, could have saved a lot of money,” Trump said. “I don’t think he needed to go to South Korea. He needed to get a little knowledge.”In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said his state is working with another federal agency, the Food and Drug Administration, to find a source of reagent, the chemical used to analyze test results. “A lot of good things are going on, but we’re not there yet,” DeWine said.Democratic Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said his state received 5,000 nasal swabs Monday from FEMA — evidence the federal government is listening. But he added, “It doesn’t get us far enough.”In New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the states should take the lead on testing but it’s up to the federal government to help sort out supply chain issues facing testing manufacturers.“What the states will run into is when you talk to those labs ... they buy machines and equipment from national manufacturers,” said Cuomo, who is expected to meet with Trump at the White House Tuesday. “And those labs can only run as many tests as the national manufacturers provide them chemicals, reagents and lab kits.”Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said, “We need the reagents, we need the test kits and I think that’s the sort of general cry from other states.”As Pence spoke with the governors, Trump took to Twitter with a more combative tone than his vice president, complaining that the “radical left” and “Do Nothing Democrats” were playing politics with their complaints about a lack of tests.“Now they scream ....‘Testing, Testing, Testing,’ again playing a very dangerous political game,” Trump tweeted. “States, not the Federal Government, should be doing the Testing - But we will work with the Governors and get it done.”Public health experts say the country needs to dramatically increase its testing infrastructure if it is going to safely roll back restrictions and reopen businesses without risking a major spike in infections.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday that the country is currently running about 1.5 million to 2 million tests per week. But, “we really need to get up to, at least, you know, maybe two times that, three times that.”The White House said the Pentagon is finalizing negotiations with a Maine medical company to ramp up production of nasal swabs under the Defense Production Act. An Ohio manufacturer of cotton swabs has also agreed to convert its facilities to allow for 10 million testing swabs per month.Testing was an issue on Capitol Hill, too, where the administration and Congress were inching toward agreement on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/d4706859faf64bf3abd73419933c8ea2">an aid package of more than $450 billion&nbsp;</a>to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money. The deal is expected to add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing, as well.For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.___

Kansas governor among those calling for more federal help

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected some 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000 could get worse. He and others, however, have previously pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed.

“Trust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,” Tedros told reporters from WHO headquarters in Geneva. “Let’s prevent this tragedy. It’s a virus that many people still don’t understand.”

Some Asian and European governments have gradually eased or started relaxing “lockdown” measures like quarantines, school and business closures and restrictions on public gatherings, citing a decline in the growth of COVID-19 case counts and deaths.

Tedros and his agency have been on the defensive after President Donald Trump of the United States — the WHO’s biggest single donor — last week ordered a halt to U.S. funding for the agency, alleging that it botched the early response to the outbreak.

Among other things, Trump insisted WHO had failed to adequately share “in a timely and transparent” way information about the outbreak after it erupted in China late last year.

Tedros said: “There is no secret in WHO because keeping things confidential or secret is dangerous. It’s a health issue.”

“This virus is dangerous. It exploits cracks between us when we have differences,” he said.

Tedros said U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staffers have been seconded to work with his agency, suggesting that was a sign of WHO’s transparency.

“Having CDC staff (at WHO) means there is nothing hidden from the U.S. from Day One” Tedros said. “Our CDC colleagues also know that we give information immediately to anyone.”

In one of his starkest comparisons yet, the U.N. health agency chief also alluded to the so-called Spanish flu more than a century ago, saying the coronavirus has a “very dangerous combination ... like the 1918 flu that killed up to 100 million people.”

Tedros called the illness “Public Enemy No. 1,” and said: “We have been warning from Day One: This is a devil that everybody should fight.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587401715959.png" alt="General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during Monday's virus press conference" />
 <figcaption>General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during Monday's virus press conference</figcaption>
 </figure>GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected some 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000 could get worse. He and others, however, have previously pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed.“Trust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,” Tedros told reporters from WHO headquarters in Geneva. “Let’s prevent this tragedy. It’s a virus that many people still don’t understand.”Some Asian and European governments have gradually eased or started relaxing “lockdown” measures like quarantines, school and business closures and restrictions on public gatherings, citing a decline in the growth of COVID-19 case counts and deaths.Tedros and his agency have been on the defensive after President Donald Trump of the United States — the WHO’s biggest single donor — last week ordered a halt to U.S. funding for the agency, alleging that it botched the early response to the outbreak.Among other things, Trump insisted WHO had failed to adequately share “in a timely and transparent” way information about the outbreak after it erupted in China late last year.Tedros said: “There is no secret in WHO because keeping things confidential or secret is dangerous. It’s a health issue.”“This virus is dangerous. It exploits cracks between us when we have differences,” he said.Tedros said U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staffers have been seconded to work with his agency, suggesting that was a sign of WHO’s transparency.“Having CDC staff (at WHO) means there is nothing hidden from the U.S. from Day One” Tedros said. “Our CDC colleagues also know that we give information immediately to anyone.”In one of his starkest comparisons yet, the U.N. health agency chief also alluded to the so-called Spanish flu more than a century ago, saying the coronavirus has a “very dangerous combination ... like the 1918 flu that killed up to 100 million people.”Tedros called the illness “Public Enemy No. 1,” and said: “We have been warning from Day One: This is a devil that everybody should fight.”___

WHO chief says worst of virus outbreak yet to come

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 137&nbsp; to&nbsp; a total of 1,986, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 137&nbsp; to&nbsp; a total of 1,986, the state health department reported Monday afternoon.Statewide virus deaths increased to 100.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587402664031.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration and Congress are nearing an agreement on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dded8ead64598a3893f4046bbe857d2e">run out of money&nbsp;</a>and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing.

President Donald Trump said Sunday, “We're getting close to a deal.”

Along with the small business boost, Trump said the negotiators were looking at "helping our hospitals," particularly hard-hit rural health care providers.

A deal could be announced Monday, the president said at a White House briefing.

With small-business owners reeling during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">coronavirus</a>&nbsp;outbreak that has shuttered much economic activity, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier Sunday he was hopeful of a deal that could pass Congress quickly and get the Small Business Administration program back up by midweek.

“I think we’re very close to a deal today. I’m hopeful that we can get that done,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he believed a deal could be reached late Sunday or early Monday. “We still have a few more details to deal with,” he said.

The Senate is scheduled for a pro forma session Monday, but no vote has been set.

The House announced it could meet as soon as Wednesday for a recorded vote on the pending package, according to a schedule update from Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Under the emerging deal there would be $300 billion for small-business payroll program, and $50 billion would be available for small business disaster fund. Additionally, it would bring $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing, according to those involved in the talks

On a conference call Sunday afternoon that included Trump, Mnuchin and Republican senators, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated the only remaining item for discussion involved the money for testing, according to a Senate GOP leadership aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private call.

Under the emerging deal, the government’s Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses would get roughly $300 billion, according to Mnuchin. The program has been swamped by companies applying for loans and reached its appropriations limit last Thursday after approving nearly 1.7 million loans. That left thousands of small businesses in limbo as they sought help. An additional $50 billion in the evolving deal would go for disaster loans.

About $75 billion would go to U.S. hospitals, for those straining under a ballooning coronavirus caseload as well as those struggling to stay financially afloat after suspending elective surgeries during the pandemic. About $25 billion would be added for COVID-19 testing, something states have said was urgently needed. The money for hospitals and testing were priorities sought by congressional Democrats.

But additional aid to state and local governments would be left out, Mnuchin said. Democrats have been keen to boost funding to cash-strapped states and local governments whose revenues have cratered, but the issue threatened to provoke fights between large, high-tax states like California and New York and smaller states more typically run by Republicans.

“The president is willing to consider that in the next bill, but wants to get this over the finish line with a focus on small businesses, hospitals and testing,” Mnuchin said.

He said he’s been in touch with GOP leaders including McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and all are “on board with the same plan.” On the Sunday call with senators, Mnuchin and McConnell reiterated that money for state and local governments as well as food stamps would not be included in the package, according to the GOP aide.

“I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement, that the Senate can pass this tomorrow, and that the House can take it up on Tuesday, and, Wednesday, we’d be back up and running,” Mnuchin said earlier in his TV interview.

Schumer said Democrats would insist on aid for state and local governments. They had submitted a compromise offer Friday that would provide $150 billion for states as well as cities, counties and towns based on need. ‪Key swing states for Trump in the November presidential election — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin — would receive billions in new aid under the proposal, according to a senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of private negotiations.

“We are pushing hard,” Schumer said. “We don’t want our police, our firefighters, our EMTs, our bus drivers — this is not an abstract issue. We don’t want them fired.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., predicted an agreement would be reached “soon.”

“I am pleased to report that we have been engaged in bipartisan negotiations on our interim legislation, and our progress is encouraging,” she said in a letter late Saturday to Democratic colleagues.

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who leads the National Governors’ Association, said he and other governors believe that aid for state and local government is “desperately needed,'' but that it may not be an issue worth fighting over for now.

“I don’t think the deal is finalized yet,” he said. “But, look, we do not want to hold up funding to these small businesses. And we hope that the Democrats and the Republicans in the Senate can come together in a bipartisan way and get something moving for the American people."

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said states needed money from the federal government to ramp up testing, and he blasted legislation that wouldn’t provide it.

“You have the president saying 15 times, ‘It’s up to the governors, it’s up to the governors, it’s up to the governors,'" he said. "And then they’re going to pass a piece of legislation that gives you know what to states: zero, zilch, nada, niente. Whatever language you want to say it, nothing. But then how are the states supposed to do this?”

The SBA loans, based on a company’s payroll costs, offer owners forgiveness if they retain workers or rehire those who have been laid off. The law provides for forgiveness for companies in any industry — even businesses like hedge funds and law firms. There’s a limit of $100,000 on the amount of employees’ compensation that can be considered when loan forgiveness is calculated.

While they wait, owners who are shut down or who’ve lost revenue have expressed unease about the longer-term impact the virus outbreak will have on their companies.

“There’s great pain out there,” said Suzanne Clark, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Every hour and day that goes by without this assistance is really hurting them.”

Mnuchin, Schumer and Hogan appeared on CNN's “State of the Union," and Clark spoke on CBS' “Face the Nation.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587378698890.png" alt="Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin doing television interviews on Sunday-image courtesy Dept. of Treasury" />
 <figcaption>Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin doing television interviews on Sunday-image courtesy Dept. of Treasury</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration and Congress are nearing an agreement on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dded8ead64598a3893f4046bbe857d2e">run out of money&nbsp;</a>and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing.President Donald Trump said Sunday, “We're getting close to a deal.”Along with the small business boost, Trump said the negotiators were looking at "helping our hospitals," particularly hard-hit rural health care providers.A deal could be announced Monday, the president said at a White House briefing.With small-business owners reeling during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">coronavirus</a>&nbsp;outbreak that has shuttered much economic activity, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier Sunday he was hopeful of a deal that could pass Congress quickly and get the Small Business Administration program back up by midweek.“I think we’re very close to a deal today. I’m hopeful that we can get that done,” he said.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he believed a deal could be reached late Sunday or early Monday. “We still have a few more details to deal with,” he said.The Senate is scheduled for a pro forma session Monday, but no vote has been set.The House announced it could meet as soon as Wednesday for a recorded vote on the pending package, according to a schedule update from Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.Under the emerging deal there would be $300 billion for small-business payroll program, and $50 billion would be available for small business disaster fund. Additionally, it would bring $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing, according to those involved in the talksOn a conference call Sunday afternoon that included Trump, Mnuchin and Republican senators, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated the only remaining item for discussion involved the money for testing, according to a Senate GOP leadership aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private call.Under the emerging deal, the government’s Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses would get roughly $300 billion, according to Mnuchin. The program has been swamped by companies applying for loans and reached its appropriations limit last Thursday after approving nearly 1.7 million loans. That left thousands of small businesses in limbo as they sought help. An additional $50 billion in the evolving deal would go for disaster loans.About $75 billion would go to U.S. hospitals, for those straining under a ballooning coronavirus caseload as well as those struggling to stay financially afloat after suspending elective surgeries during the pandemic. About $25 billion would be added for COVID-19 testing, something states have said was urgently needed. The money for hospitals and testing were priorities sought by congressional Democrats.But additional aid to state and local governments would be left out, Mnuchin said. Democrats have been keen to boost funding to cash-strapped states and local governments whose revenues have cratered, but the issue threatened to provoke fights between large, high-tax states like California and New York and smaller states more typically run by Republicans.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587378513189.png" alt="President Trump answers questions during Sunday's Coronavirus Task Force briefing" />
 <figcaption>President Trump answers questions during Sunday's Coronavirus Task Force briefing</figcaption>
 </figure>“The president is willing to consider that in the next bill, but wants to get this over the finish line with a focus on small businesses, hospitals and testing,” Mnuchin said.He said he’s been in touch with GOP leaders including McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and all are “on board with the same plan.” On the Sunday call with senators, Mnuchin and McConnell reiterated that money for state and local governments as well as food stamps would not be included in the package, according to the GOP aide.“I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement, that the Senate can pass this tomorrow, and that the House can take it up on Tuesday, and, Wednesday, we’d be back up and running,” Mnuchin said earlier in his TV interview.Schumer said Democrats would insist on aid for state and local governments. They had submitted a compromise offer Friday that would provide $150 billion for states as well as cities, counties and towns based on need. ‪Key swing states for Trump in the November presidential election — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin — would receive billions in new aid under the proposal, according to a senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of private negotiations.“We are pushing hard,” Schumer said. “We don’t want our police, our firefighters, our EMTs, our bus drivers — this is not an abstract issue. We don’t want them fired.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., predicted an agreement would be reached “soon.”“I am pleased to report that we have been engaged in bipartisan negotiations on our interim legislation, and our progress is encouraging,” she said in a letter late Saturday to Democratic colleagues.Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who leads the National Governors’ Association, said he and other governors believe that aid for state and local government is “desperately needed,'' but that it may not be an issue worth fighting over for now.“I don’t think the deal is finalized yet,” he said. “But, look, we do not want to hold up funding to these small businesses. And we hope that the Democrats and the Republicans in the Senate can come together in a bipartisan way and get something moving for the American people."Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said states needed money from the federal government to ramp up testing, and he blasted legislation that wouldn’t provide it.“You have the president saying 15 times, ‘It’s up to the governors, it’s up to the governors, it’s up to the governors,'" he said. "And then they’re going to pass a piece of legislation that gives you know what to states: zero, zilch, nada, niente. Whatever language you want to say it, nothing. But then how are the states supposed to do this?”The SBA loans, based on a company’s payroll costs, offer owners forgiveness if they retain workers or rehire those who have been laid off. The law provides for forgiveness for companies in any industry — even businesses like hedge funds and law firms. There’s a limit of $100,000 on the amount of employees’ compensation that can be considered when loan forgiveness is calculated.While they wait, owners who are shut down or who’ve lost revenue have expressed unease about the longer-term impact the virus outbreak will have on their companies.“There’s great pain out there,” said Suzanne Clark, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Every hour and day that goes by without this assistance is really hurting them.”Mnuchin, Schumer and Hogan appeared on CNN's “State of the Union," and Clark spoke on CBS' “Face the Nation.”

Evolving virus aid package offers billions for hospitals, testing

TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly announced Sunday that Kansas has received additional supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to expand COVID-19 testing in Finney, Ford, Lyon and Seward counties, according to a media release.

“I want to thank our federal partners for their ongoing efforts to help our state response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kelly said. “I particularly appreciate the assistance from Senator Pat Roberts and Senator Jerry Moran.”&nbsp;

Kansas Department of Health and Environment is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to test and contain recent clusters of positive coronavirus cases in Kansas counties centered around food and meat processing plants.

“In order to fight this pandemic, collaboration at the state, local and federal level is paramount,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Expanded testing and additional supplies from the federal level will equip and inform our state and local health officials as they work to protect the health of Kansans.”

The plants in southwest Kansas account for 25 to 30% of the country’s beef processing. “Agriculture is a facet of&nbsp;our state’s&nbsp;most&nbsp;critical infrastructure –&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;doesn’t&nbsp;just feed the state, we feed the world,” Kelly said. “This is particularly true of our frontline workers in meatpacking plants across the state&nbsp;who process&nbsp;a significant portion of the nation’s supply.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Since the start of this crisis,&nbsp;the Governor&nbsp;and members of&nbsp;her&nbsp;administration have been in communication with&nbsp;those plants and representatives of their employees.

The&nbsp;facilities&nbsp;have&nbsp;modified&nbsp;several&nbsp;production and shipping systems and have&nbsp;taken&nbsp;proactive measures including temperature and health screenings, enhanced sanitation&nbsp;and social distancing.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In recent weeks, Kansas has struggled to obtain the necessary supplies needed to test and treat coronavirus patients. The State received their allocation of the Strategic National Stockpile in late March. PPE received from the SNS&nbsp;was quickly distributed to counties throughout the state based on population.

Kansas is pleased to be able to deploy this collaborative effort between local, state and federal partners to proactively address these clusters in a strategic response to protect the nation’s food supply and the health of our essential food workers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587347190071.png" alt="Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during an April 16 news conference" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during an April 16 news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —Governor Laura Kelly announced Sunday that Kansas has received additional supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to expand COVID-19 testing in Finney, Ford, Lyon and Seward counties, according to a media release.“I want to thank our federal partners for their ongoing efforts to help our state response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kelly said. “I particularly appreciate the assistance from Senator Pat Roberts and Senator Jerry Moran.”&nbsp;Kansas Department of Health and Environment is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to test and contain recent clusters of positive coronavirus cases in Kansas counties centered around food and meat processing plants.“In order to fight this pandemic, collaboration at the state, local and federal level is paramount,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Expanded testing and additional supplies from the federal level will equip and inform our state and local health officials as they work to protect the health of Kansans.”The plants in southwest Kansas account for 25 to 30% of the country’s beef processing. “Agriculture is a facet of&nbsp;our state’s&nbsp;most&nbsp;critical infrastructure –&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;doesn’t&nbsp;just feed the state, we feed the world,” Kelly said. “This is particularly true of our frontline workers in meatpacking plants across the state&nbsp;who process&nbsp;a significant portion of the nation’s supply.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Since the start of this crisis,&nbsp;the Governor&nbsp;and members of&nbsp;her&nbsp;administration have been in communication with&nbsp;those plants and representatives of their employees.The&nbsp;facilities&nbsp;have&nbsp;modified&nbsp;several&nbsp;production and shipping systems and have&nbsp;taken&nbsp;proactive measures including temperature and health screenings, enhanced sanitation&nbsp;and social distancing.&nbsp;&nbsp;In recent weeks, Kansas has struggled to obtain the necessary supplies needed to test and treat coronavirus patients. The State received their allocation of the Strategic National Stockpile in late March. PPE received from the SNS&nbsp;was quickly distributed to counties throughout the state based on population.Kansas is pleased to be able to deploy this collaborative effort between local, state and federal partners to proactively address these clusters in a strategic response to protect the nation’s food supply and the health of our essential food workers.

Kan. receives additional PPE supplies; COVID-19 testing expanded 

SEATTLE (AP) — Before stay-at-home orders are lifted, the nation's public health agencies want to be ready to douse any new sparks of coronavirus infection — a task they say could require tens of thousands more investigators to call people who test positive, track down their contacts and get them into quarantine.

Without the extra help, officials insist, states cannot possibly be ready to resume normal everyday activities, and some agencies are so desperate they are considering recruiting librarians and Peace Corps volunteers to join the effort.

“We are trying to build these teams and processes in the midst of a crisis,” said Sharon Bogan, a public health spokeswoman for Seattle and King County, which are seeking at least 20 more investigators.

As federal officials weigh how and when to reopen the country, experts worry that the United States does not have enough public health workers to suppress another outbreak, especially those qualified to do contact tracing, the critically important search for people who may have been exposed to the virus.

While the exact number of workers needed is a subject of debate, a top federal health official this week acknowledged the mandate to find many more.

“Everybody agrees that our public health capacity at the local and state level is not ready to take this on at a very large scale without reinforcements,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who oversees the agency’s coronavirus response work.

The work could require as many as 300,000 public health workers — a daunting number given that the combined federal, state, and local public health workforce has been shrinking and is now probably less than 280,000, according to some estimates.

To address the shortage of help, governments are weighing whether to enlist people with little to no experience in public health, including the Peace Corps volunteers, furloughed social workers and public health students. San Francisco is training librarians, medical students and people who work for the city attorney’s office.

The extra workers would help conduct testing, isolate sick cases and trace everyone those sick people had contact with.

It’s crucial that such a system be in place before government officials ease social-distancing guidelines, reopen schools or lift stay-at-home orders, said Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director.

“If we have explosive spread when we reopen, we’ll have to close again. That will be very damaging, not just economically but from a health standpoint,” Frieden said.

The U.S. government has funneled about $800 million to states for coronavirus response work that can include contact tracing. On top of hundreds of staff sent to states to help with coronavirus work, the CDC has already assembled “community protection teams” of six to 12 people each to do contact tracing and investigate tools that could help with it. Some have already been deployed to states where spread of the virus has been relatively low.

Tiny Rhode Island has nearly 100 people "focused on nothing but contact tracing,” reaching out to hundreds of contacts of infected people each day, Gov. Gina Raimondo told reporters. She has urged all residents to take a minute each evening to write down who they physically encountered that day and where those encounters took place.

“If I’m going out to the store, I’ll put the date, what store I went to, and then the time I was there,” said Drew Grande, 40, of Cranston, Rhode Island. He started a contacts diary on a note-taking app on his phone after he heard the governor's request.

Contact tracing has changed over the last few months in the U.S. When the first handful of infections were being identified, teams of 20 or more might be assigned to each confirmed case. Investigations would often start with a staffer or two doing an in-person interview at a hospital bedside. Disease trackers might spend hours asking a sick person and that person's relatives who they had been in contact with since symptoms surfaced.

In-person interviews are often better, said Isaac Ghinai, a CDC disease tracker assigned to Chicago to work with that city's health department.

“There's a value to looking someone in the eye. You can build a relationship face to face that you can't always do by phone," he said. Some people are comfortable sharing personal details over the phone but others “require more cajoling.”

With hundreds of new cases emerging each day in Chicago, that kind of attention to individual infections has largely stopped. Instead, the priority is large groups of people who are particularly vulnerable, like those at nursing homes or homeless shelters. Many new confirmed cases are not being investigated, and when they are, the interviews may be done by only two or three people, and over the phone, Ghinai said.

Could there be a digital solution? Apple and Google are teaming up on a contact-tracing app, and other efforts use Bluetooth to gather data from phones that came close to an infected person. Seattle scientist Trevor Bedford has developed a digital interview that public health departments can use if they don’t have enough people trained in contact tracing.

Whatever the solution, it will take a while.

People have to be tested and diagnosed before contact tracing kicks into gear, and testing remains limited in many parts of the country. This week, the Association of American Medical Colleges sent a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force saying that testing materials and machines remain in short supply.

President Donald Trump has floated the idea of easing at least some restrictions as early as May 1.

Some observers believe restrictions could be eased first in places where the spread is low, if rigorous testing and contact tracing could prevent a sudden explosion in infections.

But Schuchat warned that "there is no way the entire country could relax mitigation on May 1 and the country not experience a major resurgence.”

SEATTLE (AP) — Before stay-at-home orders are lifted, the nation's public health agencies want to be ready to douse any new sparks of coronavirus infection — a task they say could require tens of thousands more investigators to call people who test positive, track down their contacts and get them into quarantine.Without the extra help, officials insist, states cannot possibly be ready to resume normal everyday activities, and some agencies are so desperate they are considering recruiting librarians and Peace Corps volunteers to join the effort.“We are trying to build these teams and processes in the midst of a crisis,” said Sharon Bogan, a public health spokeswoman for Seattle and King County, which are seeking at least 20 more investigators.As federal officials weigh how and when to reopen the country, experts worry that the United States does not have enough public health workers to suppress another outbreak, especially those qualified to do contact tracing, the critically important search for people who may have been exposed to the virus.While the exact number of workers needed is a subject of debate, a top federal health official this week acknowledged the mandate to find many more.“Everybody agrees that our public health capacity at the local and state level is not ready to take this on at a very large scale without reinforcements,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who oversees the agency’s coronavirus response work.The work could require as many as 300,000 public health workers — a daunting number given that the combined federal, state, and local public health workforce has been shrinking and is now probably less than 280,000, according to some estimates.To address the shortage of help, governments are weighing whether to enlist people with little to no experience in public health, including the Peace Corps volunteers, furloughed social workers and public health students. San Francisco is training librarians, medical students and people who work for the city attorney’s office.The extra workers would help conduct testing, isolate sick cases and trace everyone those sick people had contact with.It’s crucial that such a system be in place before government officials ease social-distancing guidelines, reopen schools or lift stay-at-home orders, said Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director.“If we have explosive spread when we reopen, we’ll have to close again. That will be very damaging, not just economically but from a health standpoint,” Frieden said.The U.S. government has funneled about $800 million to states for coronavirus response work that can include contact tracing. On top of hundreds of staff sent to states to help with coronavirus work, the CDC has already assembled “community protection teams” of six to 12 people each to do contact tracing and investigate tools that could help with it. Some have already been deployed to states where spread of the virus has been relatively low.Tiny Rhode Island has nearly 100 people "focused on nothing but contact tracing,” reaching out to hundreds of contacts of infected people each day, Gov. Gina Raimondo told reporters. She has urged all residents to take a minute each evening to write down who they physically encountered that day and where those encounters took place.“If I’m going out to the store, I’ll put the date, what store I went to, and then the time I was there,” said Drew Grande, 40, of Cranston, Rhode Island. He started a contacts diary on a note-taking app on his phone after he heard the governor's request.Contact tracing has changed over the last few months in the U.S. When the first handful of infections were being identified, teams of 20 or more might be assigned to each confirmed case. Investigations would often start with a staffer or two doing an in-person interview at a hospital bedside. Disease trackers might spend hours asking a sick person and that person's relatives who they had been in contact with since symptoms surfaced.In-person interviews are often better, said Isaac Ghinai, a CDC disease tracker assigned to Chicago to work with that city's health department.“There's a value to looking someone in the eye. You can build a relationship face to face that you can't always do by phone," he said. Some people are comfortable sharing personal details over the phone but others “require more cajoling.”With hundreds of new cases emerging each day in Chicago, that kind of attention to individual infections has largely stopped. Instead, the priority is large groups of people who are particularly vulnerable, like those at nursing homes or homeless shelters. Many new confirmed cases are not being investigated, and when they are, the interviews may be done by only two or three people, and over the phone, Ghinai said.Could there be a digital solution? Apple and Google are teaming up on a contact-tracing app, and other efforts use Bluetooth to gather data from phones that came close to an infected person. Seattle scientist Trevor Bedford has developed a digital interview that public health departments can use if they don’t have enough people trained in contact tracing.Whatever the solution, it will take a while.People have to be tested and diagnosed before contact tracing kicks into gear, and testing remains limited in many parts of the country. This week, the Association of American Medical Colleges sent a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force saying that testing materials and machines remain in short supply.President Donald Trump has floated the idea of easing at least some restrictions as early as May 1.Some observers believe restrictions could be eased first in places where the spread is low, if rigorous testing and contact tracing could prevent a sudden explosion in infections.But Schuchat warned that "there is no way the entire country could relax mitigation on May 1 and the country not experience a major resurgence.”

Reopening could require thousands more public health workers

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by&nbsp; 59&nbsp; to&nbsp; 1,849 total, the state health department reported Sunday&nbsp;

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by&nbsp; 59&nbsp; to&nbsp; 1,849 total, the state health department reported Sunday&nbsp;COVID-19 deaths increased to 92<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587316571454.png" alt="" />
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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Only eight souls live on the square-mile section where Jeff Hatfield farms south of Wichita: him, his wife, daughter, son-in-law, three grandchildren and a neighbor.

The coronavirus pandemic still managed to find him.

Not, thankfully, in the form of sickness. For him, the virus’s toll is the damage to his business.

“It’s hurt it tremendously,” he told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article241920356.html">The Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;on a recent morning phone call while driving a tractor back from feeding his 120 head of cattle on the farm near Belle Plaine.

“Agriculture definitely hasn’t been spared anything from our economy being down,” Hatfield said. “It’s been hit quite drastically.”

In the early weeks of the outbreak, it appeared as if rural areas might ride out the pandemic relatively unscathed. Officially, many of the state’s rural counties still show no or very few cases.

But the growing realization is that not even the farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers who feed America will escape the economic trauma sweeping the country. Still, they’re hopeful the critical nature of food production will help them through the worst of it.

Nearly 50 of Kansas’s 105 counties still have no confirmed cases more than a month after the state’s first case. These counties are largely rural and dominated by agriculture.

Interviews with more than a dozen Kansas farmers, ranchers, health officials and community leaders show how for many in the state’s rural areas, work continues unabated even as urban areas hunker down. While those living in rural Kansas say they’re taking precautions to limit the spread of the deadly virus, the essential work of agriculture must go on despite the risk.

In food processing, the risks for workers are especially acute. An outbreak in a packed plant could cause painful disruptions and stretch an already-strained rural health care system.

Thousands of people continue to process cattle everyday at the Tyson Foods plant at Holcomb near Garden City. An outbreak would represent a nightmare scenario – rapidly spreading the contagion while disrupting a plant that processes about 5% of all American beef on any given day. The company operates other plants in Kansas and Missouri as well.

Joe Gonzales, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, knows several people who work at the plant.

“They’re worried that some people might have it and aren’t saying nothing or they don’t have a temperature – you never know,” he said.

Tyson spokeswoman Liz Croston declined to say whether anyone at the Holcomb plant has tested positive. Workers at all facilities – including Holcomb – have their temperature taken before they enter plants, she said.

The company is working to secure face coverings and plants have increased the distance between workers, she said. Additionally, the time between shifts has been lengthened to reduce worker interaction and outdoor seating has been provided to give employees more space during breaks.

“If there is a confirmed case at one of our locations, as part of our protocol and in collaboration with health officials, we notify anyone who has been in close contact with the person and instruct them to go home and self-quarantine,” Croston said in an email. “We also inform team members who have not been exposed and provide information to our supervisors so they can help answer questions.”

Gov. Laura Kelly said her administration has been in touch with both Tyson and Cargill, which processes beef in Dodge City. Both companies have implemented procedures to make plants safer while maintaining production.

“I talked with the CEO of Tyson the other day and they are having half the number of people come in to the facility at any given time, so they’re essentially doing two shifts,” Kelly said Friday at a news conference.

Outbreaks have already struck meat plants throughout the country, and some employees have died. More than 80 workers at a Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota have tested positive, forcing the facility to temporarily close. Workers have tested positive at plants in Iowa, Georgia and other states. A Tyson plant in Iowa was also closed.

Kansas already got a taste of what a large-scale disruption in a meat plant would look like when a fire last fall temporarily shuttered Tyson at Holcomb.. The event affected beef prices nationally and sent ranchers scrambling to find other places to send their cattle.

The United States has very little slack in its cattle processing capacity, said Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association. Any disruption quickly filters down to farmers and ranchers, who are even now sending cattle to auctions every day.

“Those cattle that should have been harvested this week don’t get harvested until next week. Next week’s cattle gets delayed, so you just push cattle out, so that has a downward effect on the cattle market,” Teagarden said. “So it makes this situation even worse from a cattle producer perspective.”

Hatfield’s up against a ticking clock. He’s hoping his grass greens up before he runs out of feed for his cattle and is forced to begin selling.

He wants to take some of his older cattle to market, “but with the market being the way it is, I’m trying to hold off on that as long as I can.”

Forty-one U.S. senators, including Jerry Moran of Kansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue earlier this month asking him to provide relief to farmers. They wrote that cattle producers recently experienced “excessive price losses” creating “cash flow challenges as spring planting season quickly approaches.”

President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that he had instructed Perdue to expedite help for farmers.

“I expect Secretary Purdue to use all of the funds and authorities at his disposal to make sure that our food supply is stable, strong, and safe,” Trump tweeted without elaborating.

While rural Kansas is expected to take a beating economically, the losses will likely end up smaller than in urban areas. Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University, said employment could fall by 27% in Kansas, and 35% in Wichita. But the decline is projected at less than 20% in rural areas.

“I think the rest of the state is going to fare much better than the bigger urban areas,” Hill said.

Lona DuVall, president and CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, which encompasses Garden City, said the county has a production-based economy centered not only on food but also on trucking and that much of the business that occurs is “essential.” That’s helping the county withstand the economic pressure.

“What we maybe sometimes think of as an urban-rural divide is actually more of a difference between a production economy and a service economy,” DuVall said.

Eighty-eight people filed unemployment claims in Finney County during the week ending April 4. While the number is dozens more than most western counties, it’s still a far cry from urban areas where thousands are being laid off and furloughed.

In Greely County, bordering Colorado, not a single new unemployment claim was filed between March 29 and April 4. In neighboring Wallace County, just one claim was filed.

Both counties have no reported cases of coronavirus.

Aften Gardner, an administrator for the Wallace County Health Department, said the county has only had to shut down its salon. Most of the businesses in town center on agriculture – meaning they’re essential under Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide stay-at-home order.

“It’s kind of different for us,” Gardner said. “We’re kind of rural and ag-based.”

People have been avoiding going out, Gardner said, particularly those who are high-risk for COVID-19. Businesses have switched to curbside and delivery methods.

The county hasn’t had a confirmed case of the new coronavirus yet. Gardner said if it enters the county, officials would roll out more restrictions, like roping off playgrounds.

Kansas Rep. Russ Jennings represents a swath of western Kansas extending from Garden City to the Colorado border. He said his impression is that people are taking the stay-at-home order seriously.

The Lakin Republican said a local parts store was taking order by phone.

“They’re basically met at the door and handed their stuff, they’re not even letting people inside the building,” he said.

Despite few confirmed cases, Jennings suggested rural areas are still taking the threat of the virus seriously in part because small community hospitals are unlikely to have equipment found in larger hospitals in places like Garden City.

If you have to be hospitalized, you’re likely going somewhere away from your hometown, Jennings said. And, he says, residents in the communities he represents tend to be older, and more at risk if they catch the virus.

Former Gov. Jeff Colyer, a physician, said some rural hospitals in Kansas have already experienced an overflow of patients.

“You’re going to have little tiny hot spots, but because it’s 25 or 100 people at a time, it doesn’t make the front page,” Colyer said. “But believe me, it’s devastating for these communities. Ten percent of the community could be affected and sick at the same time.”

John McRae, president of Iola Industries in Allen County, said he hasn’t been able to visit his grandchildren in Olathe and Des Moines because of the pandemic. Allen County, in eastern Kansas, still has no confirmed cases, but residents are taking precautions.

McRae said last month he and his associated had debated whether to travel to Topeka for a meeting. They didn’t end up going.

Hatfield, the Belle Plaine farmer, said people in his area aren’t jumping in pickup trucks together or visiting each other. Everyone is trying to be more conscientious of friends, family and neighbors, he said.

He and his wife recently ordered groceries online for the first time. The local co-op has been keeping everyone out of the office. The restaurants are closed when he drives through town.

“The interaction with everybody that we’re just so used to having is just not there,” Hatfield said.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Only eight souls live on the square-mile section where Jeff Hatfield farms south of Wichita: him, his wife, daughter, son-in-law, three grandchildren and a neighbor.The coronavirus pandemic still managed to find him.Not, thankfully, in the form of sickness. For him, the virus’s toll is the damage to his business.“It’s hurt it tremendously,” he told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article241920356.html">The Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;on a recent morning phone call while driving a tractor back from feeding his 120 head of cattle on the farm near Belle Plaine.Beef prices are down. Grain prices, too.“Agriculture definitely hasn’t been spared anything from our economy being down,” Hatfield said. “It’s been hit quite drastically.”In the early weeks of the outbreak, it appeared as if rural areas might ride out the pandemic relatively unscathed. Officially, many of the state’s rural counties still show no or very few cases.But the growing realization is that not even the farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers who feed America will escape the economic trauma sweeping the country. Still, they’re hopeful the critical nature of food production will help them through the worst of it.Nearly 50 of Kansas’s 105 counties still have no confirmed cases more than a month after the state’s first case. These counties are largely rural and dominated by agriculture.Interviews with more than a dozen Kansas farmers, ranchers, health officials and community leaders show how for many in the state’s rural areas, work continues unabated even as urban areas hunker down. While those living in rural Kansas say they’re taking precautions to limit the spread of the deadly virus, the essential work of agriculture must go on despite the risk.In food processing, the risks for workers are especially acute. An outbreak in a packed plant could cause painful disruptions and stretch an already-strained rural health care system.Thousands of people continue to process cattle everyday at the Tyson Foods plant at Holcomb near Garden City. An outbreak would represent a nightmare scenario – rapidly spreading the contagion while disrupting a plant that processes about 5% of all American beef on any given day. The company operates other plants in Kansas and Missouri as well.Joe Gonzales, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, knows several people who work at the plant.“They’re worried that some people might have it and aren’t saying nothing or they don’t have a temperature – you never know,” he said.Tyson spokeswoman Liz Croston declined to say whether anyone at the Holcomb plant has tested positive. Workers at all facilities – including Holcomb – have their temperature taken before they enter plants, she said.The company is working to secure face coverings and plants have increased the distance between workers, she said. Additionally, the time between shifts has been lengthened to reduce worker interaction and outdoor seating has been provided to give employees more space during breaks.“If there is a confirmed case at one of our locations, as part of our protocol and in collaboration with health officials, we notify anyone who has been in close contact with the person and instruct them to go home and self-quarantine,” Croston said in an email. “We also inform team members who have not been exposed and provide information to our supervisors so they can help answer questions.”Gov. Laura Kelly said her administration has been in touch with both Tyson and Cargill, which processes beef in Dodge City. Both companies have implemented procedures to make plants safer while maintaining production.“I talked with the CEO of Tyson the other day and they are having half the number of people come in to the facility at any given time, so they’re essentially doing two shifts,” Kelly said Friday at a news conference.Outbreaks have already struck meat plants throughout the country, and some employees have died. More than 80 workers at a Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota have tested positive, forcing the facility to temporarily close. Workers have tested positive at plants in Iowa, Georgia and other states. A Tyson plant in Iowa was also closed.Kansas already got a taste of what a large-scale disruption in a meat plant would look like when a fire last fall temporarily shuttered Tyson at Holcomb.. The event affected beef prices nationally and sent ranchers scrambling to find other places to send their cattle.The United States has very little slack in its cattle processing capacity, said Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association. Any disruption quickly filters down to farmers and ranchers, who are even now sending cattle to auctions every day.“Those cattle that should have been harvested this week don’t get harvested until next week. Next week’s cattle gets delayed, so you just push cattle out, so that has a downward effect on the cattle market,” Teagarden said. “So it makes this situation even worse from a cattle producer perspective.”Hatfield’s up against a ticking clock. He’s hoping his grass greens up before he runs out of feed for his cattle and is forced to begin selling.He wants to take some of his older cattle to market, “but with the market being the way it is, I’m trying to hold off on that as long as I can.”Forty-one U.S. senators, including Jerry Moran of Kansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue earlier this month asking him to provide relief to farmers. They wrote that cattle producers recently experienced “excessive price losses” creating “cash flow challenges as spring planting season quickly approaches.”President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that he had instructed Perdue to expedite help for farmers.“I expect Secretary Purdue to use all of the funds and authorities at his disposal to make sure that our food supply is stable, strong, and safe,” Trump tweeted without elaborating.While rural Kansas is expected to take a beating economically, the losses will likely end up smaller than in urban areas. Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University, said employment could fall by 27% in Kansas, and 35% in Wichita. But the decline is projected at less than 20% in rural areas.“I think the rest of the state is going to fare much better than the bigger urban areas,” Hill said.Lona DuVall, president and CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, which encompasses Garden City, said the county has a production-based economy centered not only on food but also on trucking and that much of the business that occurs is “essential.” That’s helping the county withstand the economic pressure.“What we maybe sometimes think of as an urban-rural divide is actually more of a difference between a production economy and a service economy,” DuVall said.Eighty-eight people filed unemployment claims in Finney County during the week ending April 4. While the number is dozens more than most western counties, it’s still a far cry from urban areas where thousands are being laid off and furloughed.In Greely County, bordering Colorado, not a single new unemployment claim was filed between March 29 and April 4. In neighboring Wallace County, just one claim was filed.Both counties have no reported cases of coronavirus.Aften Gardner, an administrator for the Wallace County Health Department, said the county has only had to shut down its salon. Most of the businesses in town center on agriculture – meaning they’re essential under Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide stay-at-home order.“It’s kind of different for us,” Gardner said. “We’re kind of rural and ag-based.”People have been avoiding going out, Gardner said, particularly those who are high-risk for COVID-19. Businesses have switched to curbside and delivery methods.The county hasn’t had a confirmed case of the new coronavirus yet. Gardner said if it enters the county, officials would roll out more restrictions, like roping off playgrounds.Kansas Rep. Russ Jennings represents a swath of western Kansas extending from Garden City to the Colorado border. He said his impression is that people are taking the stay-at-home order seriously.The Lakin Republican said a local parts store was taking order by phone.“They’re basically met at the door and handed their stuff, they’re not even letting people inside the building,” he said.Despite few confirmed cases, Jennings suggested rural areas are still taking the threat of the virus seriously in part because small community hospitals are unlikely to have equipment found in larger hospitals in places like Garden City.If you have to be hospitalized, you’re likely going somewhere away from your hometown, Jennings said. And, he says, residents in the communities he represents tend to be older, and more at risk if they catch the virus.Former Gov. Jeff Colyer, a physician, said some rural hospitals in Kansas have already experienced an overflow of patients.“You’re going to have little tiny hot spots, but because it’s 25 or 100 people at a time, it doesn’t make the front page,” Colyer said. “But believe me, it’s devastating for these communities. Ten percent of the community could be affected and sick at the same time.”John McRae, president of Iola Industries in Allen County, said he hasn’t been able to visit his grandchildren in Olathe and Des Moines because of the pandemic. Allen County, in eastern Kansas, still has no confirmed cases, but residents are taking precautions.McRae said last month he and his associated had debated whether to travel to Topeka for a meeting. They didn’t end up going.“Things happen so fast,” McRae said.Hatfield, the Belle Plaine farmer, said people in his area aren’t jumping in pickup trucks together or visiting each other. Everyone is trying to be more conscientious of friends, family and neighbors, he said.He and his wife recently ordered groceries online for the first time. The local co-op has been keeping everyone out of the office. The restaurants are closed when he drives through town.“The interaction with everybody that we’re just so used to having is just not there,” Hatfield said.But for now, all he can do is plant corn and feed his cattle.“My cattle, they’re just waiting like everybody else,” he said. “They’d like to see it warm up and the grass green up a little better.”

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