By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Hays Mayor Shaun Musil expected to be back in town Thursday night for the city commission meeting.
He's been at his children's soccer games the past couple of weeks at various schools and has not attended meetings in person.
"I've been chasing kids all over the country watching soccer games," he quipped.
But as he joined the Thursday night meeting via telephone, Musil also announced one of his sons had been diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier in the day.
"I thought I'd be back tonight, and my youngest son tested positive for COVID," he told commissioners at the end of the meeting.
"It's kind of a shock to the whole family today, but he's doing fine and we'll get through this.
"Everybody in this community has been touched by this," Musil said. "I know Commissioner (Ron) Mellick has a family member that passed away.
"None of us are immune to it. ... It's a tough time in this whole community. But we're a great community. We will get through this, so thank you all," Musil said.
Vice-mayor Sandy Jacobs also thanked the community "for how we're approaching the coronavirus."
"It seems to me that we have a really positive attitude throughout the community and I've been in various parts of the community.
"I have not had a lot of negatives the last couple weeks, which is really appreciated," Jacobs said.
During a special meeting on Oct. 2, commissioners voted to extend the face covering ordinance until specific metrics are met.
"And people are understanding. As our numbers increase, they often get closer to home and I think that makes a big difference," she added.
On Thursday, HaysMed had 22 inpatients, two more than Wednesday, according to the University of Kansas Health System.
The Ellis County Health Department reported Wednesday a decrease in the average number of new coronavirus cases per day in the last seven days — from 14 on Monday to 12 on Wednesday.
The department also announced the eighth and ninth coronavirus-related deaths.