TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has received more personal protective equipment and supplies to expand COVID-19 testing in communities with meat processing plants.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Monday that the federal supplies will go to Finney, Ford and Seward counties in southwest Kansas and Lyon County in the east-central part of the state.
As of Monday, 336 people in those counties were infected with the coronavirus out of 1,986 statewide. The state has had 100 COVID-19-related deaths.
Cargill, Tyson Fresh Meats and National Beef have said employees at their processing plants tested positive. Kansas Department of Health and Environment is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track clusters connected to the processing plants.
Controlling the outbreaks is crucial: Plants in southwest Kansas account for 25 to 30% of beef processing in the country.
“You can see what’s happened in other states. I mean, you’ve got South Dakota and Iowa and I believe others,” Kelly told the Associated Press. “It would be a disaster if we had to shut down, so we’re trying to do everything that we can to keep those plants online.”
The facilities also have taken steps to improve safety, including staff health screenings, enhanced sanitation and social distancing.
Dr. Drew Miller, a family physician in Lakin in southwest Kansas, said that while the plants are trying to protect workers, an increase in cases in the region area is tied for now to the industry. Miller’s hospital in Kearny County sees patients from surrounding counties and he is a member of its four-person COVID-19 medical team.
“Meat-packing plants are essential, so people still have to go to work there,” he said. “There’s a lot of people working in a relatively confined area.”
REOPENING THE ECONOMY
The Kansas Chamber of Commerce released a plan Sunday for reopening the economy. It calls for allowing nonessential businesses to open if they are able to do things such as boost cleaning of common areas, provide flexible time off for sick employees and establish employee temperature monitoring.
The health status of geographic regions should be taken into consideration, according to the organization, and the most vulnerable people should be afforded specific protections.
Kelly said last week that she hopes to outline a plan for reopening the economy by the end of this week.
“We will just have to alter our behavior and our practices as we’re reopening the economy and maintain different kinds of health strategies until that vaccine is discovered, manufactured and distributed,” Kelly said.
NEW NUMBERS
The state saw the number of confirmed cases jump Monday by 137, or 7.4%. The number of COVID-19-related deaths rose by eight, or 8.7%.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness.
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