COVID-19 has caused problems in many areas. The impact on the primary and general elections and planning for those events later this year is still to be determined.

Geary County Clerk Rebecca Nordyke said if there are any type of changes to how the elections are conducted officials largely have to wait on direction from the secretary of state or the governor's office. Nordyke does not anticipate any changes in how elections are conducted, at least not for the primary. "Trying to get ready is extremely challenging. We are working extremely hard here to try take into consideration the safety of our board workers, the safety of my staff and the safety of the voters."

Nordyke said some changes may be necessary to accommodate social distancing. "Some people may not want to show up to the polling places so we're already seeing a larger number than normal of who people who are requesting a ballot be mailed to their homes, and we're certainly fine with that and are happy to accommodate that. "She noted at this point there has not yet been enough directions from the Secretary of State's Office.

Nordyke noted there have been attempts to obtain PPE items such as hand sanitizers and masks but resources are small, and it's unclear that they can obtain by the time of the elections. " The Secretary of State's Office is working on doing a state contracting order to get some of those things and get them sent out to the counties for our polling places so a lot of people are working really hard on it."

COVID-19 has caused problems in many areas. The impact on the primary and general elections and planning for those events later this year is still to be determined.Geary County Clerk Rebecca Nordyke said if there are any type of changes to how the elections are conducted officials largely have to wait on direction from the secretary of state or the governor's office. Nordyke does not anticipate any changes in how elections are conducted, at least not for the primary. "Trying to get ready is extremely challenging. We are working extremely hard here to try take into consideration the safety of our board workers, the safety of my staff and the safety of the voters."Nordyke said some changes may be necessary to accommodate social distancing. "Some people may not want to show up to the polling places so we're already seeing a larger number than normal of who people who are requesting a ballot be mailed to their homes, and we're certainly fine with that and are happy to accommodate that. "She noted at this point there has not yet been enough directions from the Secretary of State's Office.Nordyke noted there have been attempts to obtain PPE items such as hand sanitizers and masks but resources are small, and it's unclear that they can obtain by the time of the elections. " The Secretary of State's Office is working on doing a state contracting order to get some of those things and get them sent out to the counties for our polling places so a lot of people are working really hard on it."

Preparing for elections could prove challenging in 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;— and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.

Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that that country was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.

The sharper rhetoric coincides with administration critics saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a8f85aad99607f313cca6ab1398e04d">the government’s response to the virus was slow</a>&nbsp;and inadequate. President Donald Trump’s political opponents have accused him of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism at home.

Not classified but marked “for official use only,” the DHS analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” the analysis states.

The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad — and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.

Those conclusions are based on the 95% probability that China’s changes in imports and export behavior were not within normal range, according to the report.

China informed the WHO of the outbreak on Dec. 31. It contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 3 and publicly identified the pathogen as a novel coronavirus on Jan. 8.

Chinese officials muffled doctors who warned about the virus early on and repeatedly downplayed the threat of the outbreak. However, many of the Chinese government’s missteps appear to have been due to bureaucratic hurdles, tight controls on information and officials hesitant to report bad news. There is no public evidence to suggest it was an intentional plot to buy up the world’s medical supplies.

In a tweet on Sunday, the president appeared to blame U.S. intelligence officials for not making clearer sooner just how dangerous a potential coronavirus outbreak could be. Trump has been defensive over whether he failed to act after receiving early warnings from intelligence officials and others about the coronavirus and its potential impact.

“Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China from the U.S.,” Trump wrote without citing specifics. “Also, they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner.”

Trump had previously speculated that China may have unleashed the coronavirus due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9499f7b8ab2ae7097c8588f1ccdddea">some kind of horrible “mistake.”</a>&nbsp;His intelligence agencies say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.

Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Pompeo said he had no reason to believe that the virus was deliberately spread. But he added, “Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories.”

“These are not the first times that we’ve had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,” Pompeo said. “And so, while the intelligence community continues to do its work, they should continue to do that, and verify so that we are certain, I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.”

The secretary of state appeared to be referring to previous outbreaks of respiratory viruses, like SARS, which started in China. His remark may be seen as offensive in China. Still, Pompeo repeated the same assertion hours later, via a tweet Sunday afternoon.

Experts say the virus arose naturally in bats, and make it clear that they believe it wasn’t human-made. Many virologists say the chance that the outbreak was caused by a lab accident is very low, though scientists are still working to determine a point at which it may have jumped from animals to humans.

Beijing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/887c6ae4116951bb9bc7375e3dc8b158">has repeatedly pushed back</a>&nbsp;on U.S. accusations that the outbreak was China’s fault, pointing to many missteps made by American officials in their own fight against the outbreak. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9">public announcement on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;that the virus was transmissible from person to person left the U.S. nearly two months to prepare for the pandemic, during which the U.S. government failed to bolster medical supplies and deployed flawed testing kits.

“The U.S. government has ignored the facts, diverted public attention and engaged in buck-passing in an attempt to shirk its responsibility for incompetence in the fight against the epidemic,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586382948325.png" alt="Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets President Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing last month -White House image" />
 <figcaption>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets President Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing last month -White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials believe China covered up the extent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus outbreak</a>&nbsp;— and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show.Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security intelligence report dated May 1 and obtained by The Associated Press. The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying Sunday that that country was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.The sharper rhetoric coincides with administration critics saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6a8f85aad99607f313cca6ab1398e04d">the government’s response to the virus was slow</a>&nbsp;and inadequate. President Donald Trump’s political opponents have accused him of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe but critical U.S. trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism at home.Not classified but marked “for official use only,” the DHS analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” the analysis states.The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad — and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.Those conclusions are based on the 95% probability that China’s changes in imports and export behavior were not within normal range, according to the report.China informed the WHO of the outbreak on Dec. 31. It contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Jan. 3 and publicly identified the pathogen as a novel coronavirus on Jan. 8.Chinese officials muffled doctors who warned about the virus early on and repeatedly downplayed the threat of the outbreak. However, many of the Chinese government’s missteps appear to have been due to bureaucratic hurdles, tight controls on information and officials hesitant to report bad news. There is no public evidence to suggest it was an intentional plot to buy up the world’s medical supplies.In a tweet on Sunday, the president appeared to blame U.S. intelligence officials for not making clearer sooner just how dangerous a potential coronavirus outbreak could be. Trump has been defensive over whether he failed to act after receiving early warnings from intelligence officials and others about the coronavirus and its potential impact.“Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China from the U.S.,” Trump wrote without citing specifics. “Also, they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner.”Trump had previously speculated that China may have unleashed the coronavirus due to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c9499f7b8ab2ae7097c8588f1ccdddea">some kind of horrible “mistake.”</a>&nbsp;His intelligence agencies say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.Speaking Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Pompeo said he had no reason to believe that the virus was deliberately spread. But he added, “Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories.”“These are not the first times that we’ve had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,” Pompeo said. “And so, while the intelligence community continues to do its work, they should continue to do that, and verify so that we are certain, I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.”The secretary of state appeared to be referring to previous outbreaks of respiratory viruses, like SARS, which started in China. His remark may be seen as offensive in China. Still, Pompeo repeated the same assertion hours later, via a tweet Sunday afternoon.Experts say the virus arose naturally in bats, and make it clear that they believe it wasn’t human-made. Many virologists say the chance that the outbreak was caused by a lab accident is very low, though scientists are still working to determine a point at which it may have jumped from animals to humans.Beijing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/887c6ae4116951bb9bc7375e3dc8b158">has repeatedly pushed back</a>&nbsp;on U.S. accusations that the outbreak was China’s fault, pointing to many missteps made by American officials in their own fight against the outbreak. China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/68a9e1b91de4ffc166acd6012d82c2f9">public announcement on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;that the virus was transmissible from person to person left the U.S. nearly two months to prepare for the pandemic, during which the U.S. government failed to bolster medical supplies and deployed flawed testing kits.“The U.S. government has ignored the facts, diverted public attention and engaged in buck-passing in an attempt to shirk its responsibility for incompetence in the fight against the epidemic,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday.___

Report: China hid coronavirus' severity to hoard supplies

For millions of people around the world dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, sleep brings no relief.

The horrors of COVID-19, and the surreal and frightening ways it has upended daily life, are infecting dreams and exposing feelings of fear, loss, isolation and grief that transcend culture, language and national boundaries.

Everyone from a college teacher in Pakistan to a mall cashier in Canada to an Episcopalian priest in Florida is confronting the same daytime demon. Each is waking up in a sweat in the dead of night.

Experts say humanity has rarely experienced “collective dreaming” on such a broad scale in recorded history — and certainly never while also being able to share those nightmares in real time.

“It’s that alarming feeling of when you wake up and think, ‘Thank heavens I woke up,’” said Holly Smith, an elementary school librarian in Detroit. “Once it hits your dreams, you think, ‘Great, now I can’t even escape there.’”

The psychological toll is staggering, particularly for health care workers whose dreams show similarities to those of combat veterans and 9/11 responders, said Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard University professor who is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8S75CN" target="_blank">surveying</a>&nbsp;COVID dreamers worldwide. She has collected 6,000 dream samples from about 2,400 people.

So many people are sharing accounts of dreams online that there’s a Twitter account dedicated to gathering them in a virtual library under the handle “I Dream of COVID.”

“As far as I know, no one has dream samples from the flu pandemic of 1918 — and that would probably be the most comparable thing,” said Barrett, who has studied the dreams of 9/11 survivors and British prisoners of war in World War II. “Now we just all have our smartphones by our bed, so you can just reach over and speak it or type it down. Recording our dreams has never been easier.”

The dreams are also exposing what is bothering us the most about the pandemic. The themes seem universal.

Dreams of a safe place suddenly overtaken by the virus speak to contagion’s terrifying invisibility, says Cathy Caruth, a professor at Cornell University who has studied trauma for 30 years. Pandemic dreams, she says, are reminiscent of the experience of Hiroshima survivors, who worried about invisible radiation exposure, and also of some nightmares described by Vietnam veterans.

“They seem to be in part about things that are hard to grasp, what it means that anybody can be a threat and you can be a threat to everybody,” Caruth said.

Episcopalian priest Mary Alice Mathison dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral in her church and wouldn’t go home. Other dreams underscore that no one knows how the pandemic will end. In those, the dreamer wakes with a start before learning how it turned out.

Ashley Trevino is still trying to process one terrifying dream. The 24-year-old barista is out of work due to the pandemic and was spooked when officials announced the first COVID-19 death in her central Texas county.

A few days later, she dreamed she and her girlfriend were in line to enter a dark, metal warehouse where they’d be injected with the new coronavirus by government workers wearing Hazmat suits. Fluorescent lights in the parking lot cast an eerie glow as she watched her partner get the shot and gasp for breath. Then she got the shot, too.

“I watched her kind of collapse against the wall and while I was trying to fight the effects of it and not pass out myself, I was like ... ‘Is she dead now?’”

Trevino woke up whimpering. She immediately felt an impulse to share her nightmare with someone — anyone — and tweeted it to the world from her bed.

In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a college literature teacher described dreaming she was one of only 100 people left on the planet who didn’t have COVID-19. The infected population had gained political control and was chasing the uninfected “so the world would become the same for everyone,” said Roha Rafiq, 28.

Rafiq is terrified for her elderly father, who insists on going to prayers every day despite a cough and a stay-at-home order. “I think,” she said in a Twitter direct message, “this anxiety has given me this dream.”

According to Barrett, many people dream they are sick with COVID-19 or of being overcome by what seem to be stand-ins for the virus: swarms of bugs, slithering worms, witches, grasshoppers with fangs. Others dream of being in crowded public places without a mask or proper social distancing.

Still others dream of losing control. In one such dream, the dreamer was held down by infected people who coughed on her. In another, the dreamer came across bands of people shooting at random strangers.

Most are lower-level anxiety dreams, not trauma-induced nightmares. But that changes dramatically for frontline health workers, Barrett says.

“The health care providers are the ones who look like a trauma population. They are having flat-out nightmares that reenact the things they’re experiencing and … they all have the theme that ‘I am responsible for saving this person’s life and I’m not succeeding and this person is about to die,’” she said.

“And when they dream about their child or parent getting it, for the care providers there’s always the next step in the dream where they realize ... ‘I gave it to them.’”

Even the simple, unadorned dreams — far from the drama of the ICU — seem poignant right now. Some people dream of getting a hug, attending a party, getting a haircut, going to the library.

Lauren Nickols, 30, an avid reader, stocked up on library books before Ohio’s stay-at-home order. Now her supply is running low. She recently dreamed her dresser was piled with books. She found the dream reassuring, but a reminder of the mundane things that have been lost.

“I guess it’s a bit of a sense of shared community, but it’s also really sad that we’re all missing things. It really shows you all the things you do without realizing it,” she says. “And now that you can’t, it’s a shock to the system.”

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated PressFor millions of people around the world dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, sleep brings no relief.The horrors of COVID-19, and the surreal and frightening ways it has upended daily life, are infecting dreams and exposing feelings of fear, loss, isolation and grief that transcend culture, language and national boundaries.Everyone from a college teacher in Pakistan to a mall cashier in Canada to an Episcopalian priest in Florida is confronting the same daytime demon. Each is waking up in a sweat in the dead of night.Experts say humanity has rarely experienced “collective dreaming” on such a broad scale in recorded history — and certainly never while also being able to share those nightmares in real time.“It’s that alarming feeling of when you wake up and think, ‘Thank heavens I woke up,’” said Holly Smith, an elementary school librarian in Detroit. “Once it hits your dreams, you think, ‘Great, now I can’t even escape there.’”The psychological toll is staggering, particularly for health care workers whose dreams show similarities to those of combat veterans and 9/11 responders, said Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard University professor who is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B8S75CN" target="_blank">surveying</a>&nbsp;COVID dreamers worldwide. She has collected 6,000 dream samples from about 2,400 people.So many people are sharing accounts of dreams online that there’s a Twitter account dedicated to gathering them in a virtual library under the handle “I Dream of COVID.”“As far as I know, no one has dream samples from the flu pandemic of 1918 — and that would probably be the most comparable thing,” said Barrett, who has studied the dreams of 9/11 survivors and British prisoners of war in World War II. “Now we just all have our smartphones by our bed, so you can just reach over and speak it or type it down. Recording our dreams has never been easier.”The dreams are also exposing what is bothering us the most about the pandemic. The themes seem universal.Dreams of a safe place suddenly overtaken by the virus speak to contagion’s terrifying invisibility, says Cathy Caruth, a professor at Cornell University who has studied trauma for 30 years. Pandemic dreams, she says, are reminiscent of the experience of Hiroshima survivors, who worried about invisible radiation exposure, and also of some nightmares described by Vietnam veterans.“They seem to be in part about things that are hard to grasp, what it means that anybody can be a threat and you can be a threat to everybody,” Caruth said.Episcopalian priest Mary Alice Mathison dreamed 500 people showed up for a funeral in her church and wouldn’t go home. Other dreams underscore that no one knows how the pandemic will end. In those, the dreamer wakes with a start before learning how it turned out.Ashley Trevino is still trying to process one terrifying dream. The 24-year-old barista is out of work due to the pandemic and was spooked when officials announced the first COVID-19 death in her central Texas county.A few days later, she dreamed she and her girlfriend were in line to enter a dark, metal warehouse where they’d be injected with the new coronavirus by government workers wearing Hazmat suits. Fluorescent lights in the parking lot cast an eerie glow as she watched her partner get the shot and gasp for breath. Then she got the shot, too.“I watched her kind of collapse against the wall and while I was trying to fight the effects of it and not pass out myself, I was like ... ‘Is she dead now?’”Trevino woke up whimpering. She immediately felt an impulse to share her nightmare with someone — anyone — and tweeted it to the world from her bed.In Pakistan’s Punjab province, a college literature teacher described dreaming she was one of only 100 people left on the planet who didn’t have COVID-19. The infected population had gained political control and was chasing the uninfected “so the world would become the same for everyone,” said Roha Rafiq, 28.Rafiq is terrified for her elderly father, who insists on going to prayers every day despite a cough and a stay-at-home order. “I think,” she said in a Twitter direct message, “this anxiety has given me this dream.”According to Barrett, many people dream they are sick with COVID-19 or of being overcome by what seem to be stand-ins for the virus: swarms of bugs, slithering worms, witches, grasshoppers with fangs. Others dream of being in crowded public places without a mask or proper social distancing.Still others dream of losing control. In one such dream, the dreamer was held down by infected people who coughed on her. In another, the dreamer came across bands of people shooting at random strangers.Most are lower-level anxiety dreams, not trauma-induced nightmares. But that changes dramatically for frontline health workers, Barrett says.“The health care providers are the ones who look like a trauma population. They are having flat-out nightmares that reenact the things they’re experiencing and … they all have the theme that ‘I am responsible for saving this person’s life and I’m not succeeding and this person is about to die,’” she said.“And when they dream about their child or parent getting it, for the care providers there’s always the next step in the dream where they realize ... ‘I gave it to them.’”Even the simple, unadorned dreams — far from the drama of the ICU — seem poignant right now. Some people dream of getting a hug, attending a party, getting a haircut, going to the library.Lauren Nickols, 30, an avid reader, stocked up on library books before Ohio’s stay-at-home order. Now her supply is running low. She recently dreamed her dresser was piled with books. She found the dream reassuring, but a reminder of the mundane things that have been lost.“I guess it’s a bit of a sense of shared community, but it’s also really sad that we’re all missing things. It really shows you all the things you do without realizing it,” she says. “And now that you can’t, it’s a shock to the system.”

`Infecting our dreams': Pandemic sabotages sleep worldwide

WASHINGTON (AP) — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.

Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare’s “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.

Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus.

Social Security handles eligibility determinations for Medicare, and while many issues can still be resolved online, some require personal attention. That can now entail hold times of 90 minutes or more to reach Social Security on its national 800 number, according to the agency’s website.

Even in normal times, signing up for Part B could be tricky for people who worked past age 65 and kept their workplace coverage. People need to apply separately for the outpatient coverage, and provide Social Security with documentation of their employer policy, to avoid hefty late-enrollment penalties.

Fred Riccardi, president of the advocacy group Medicare Rights Center, said an already cumbersome process has been exacerbated by the pandemic shutdown, raising the risk that some seniors will fall into a coverage gap or end up owing penalties.

“We are concerned that people who are eligible will go without coverage due to unnecessary administrative barriers and the lack of information from federal agencies,” said Riccardi. “The problem is serious.”

His organization is among groups asking Congress to hold seniors harmless from Medicare application problems during the coronavirus emergency. It’s unclear how many are affected.

Social Security declined several interview requests and instead sent The Associated Press written responses to questions. The agency said it has seen an increase in requests for Part B enrollment because of older workers losing job-based coverage.

Social Security said it worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to waive certain signature requirements for Part B forms during the pandemic and has set up a dedicated fax number to receive applications.

Social Security gets credit for trying, said Leslie Fried of the National Council on Aging, but that “I don’t know anyone who has a fax machine anymore.”

With the economy shedding millions of jobs, older workers going from employer coverage to Medicare can find themselves in a holding pattern.

Carol Berul of Sacramento, California, retired from state government on Feb. 1. She said she’s still trying to figure out what happened to her Medicare Part B application, which she mailed in January. In her early 70s, Berul said she’s worried her health could be jeopardized by bogged-down paperwork. She has an immune system disorder triggered by a medication that she once took.

“I’ve been avoiding going anywhere,” she said.

Berul said she’s faced hold times of more than an hour trying to call Social Security. When she finally got through, she learned the agency had no record of her Part B application. She resubmitted it.

Berul said Social Security employees she’s talked with have been helpful and empathetic but “with all the people working from home trying to get information from point to point, it’s like a pyramid, and they haven’t connected all the dots.”

For John Breithart of Grand Haven, Michigan, it was a different Medicare issue but a similar experience.

Breithart, who works for an oil and gas delivery company, turns 65 this year and becomes eligible for Medicare’s Part A inpatient coverage.

He’s covered through this wife’s retiree health plan and earlier this month the insurer sent him a letter saying he’d be kicked off if he didn’t provide a Medicare number.

Breithart started calling Social Security. He said on one occasion he was on hold for an hour and 52 minutes. Another time a returned call fell through and the case worker didn’t leave a callback number.

The logjam finally broke after he contacted his two U.S. senators. Social Security confirmed that his Medicare application had been approved. Breithart quickly called Medicare. After asking a litany of questions, an agent read him his Medicare number over the phone. He was able to complete the relay to his wife’s insurer.

“You don’t think of people who don’t have health insurance when you’ve had it all your life,” said Breithart. “Then you get ready to retire and someone says you need a number you don’t have, and it gets stressful.”

Social Security said the pandemic did lead lead to much longer telephone holds, but its latest weekly average was down to 45 minutes, depending on when a person calls and whether others are trying at the same time. Agency employees have been able to continue to serve the public by teleworking.

According to Webster Phillips, a policy expert with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, wait times before the pandemic averaged around 20 minutes. Social Security has an option to leave your number for a callback.

Natalie Kean, a lawyer with the advocacy group Justice in Aging, said, “Going through the normal channels is just going to be slow, and it’s not responsive to the increased need right now.”

On Capitol Hill, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said the committee is trying to assess what’s going on.

“Seniors should not be penalized for disruptions in service due to the crisis,” Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said in a statement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587590671442.png" alt="Sema Verma&nbsp;Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing -photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Sema Verma&nbsp;Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing -photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage.Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare’s “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus.Social Security handles eligibility determinations for Medicare, and while many issues can still be resolved online, some require personal attention. That can now entail hold times of 90 minutes or more to reach Social Security on its national 800 number, according to the agency’s website.Even in normal times, signing up for Part B could be tricky for people who worked past age 65 and kept their workplace coverage. People need to apply separately for the outpatient coverage, and provide Social Security with documentation of their employer policy, to avoid hefty late-enrollment penalties.Fred Riccardi, president of the advocacy group Medicare Rights Center, said an already cumbersome process has been exacerbated by the pandemic shutdown, raising the risk that some seniors will fall into a coverage gap or end up owing penalties.“We are concerned that people who are eligible will go without coverage due to unnecessary administrative barriers and the lack of information from federal agencies,” said Riccardi. “The problem is serious.”His organization is among groups asking Congress to hold seniors harmless from Medicare application problems during the coronavirus emergency. It’s unclear how many are affected.Social Security declined several interview requests and instead sent The Associated Press written responses to questions. The agency said it has seen an increase in requests for Part B enrollment because of older workers losing job-based coverage.Social Security said it worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to waive certain signature requirements for Part B forms during the pandemic and has set up a dedicated fax number to receive applications.Social Security gets credit for trying, said Leslie Fried of the National Council on Aging, but that “I don’t know anyone who has a fax machine anymore.”With the economy shedding millions of jobs, older workers going from employer coverage to Medicare can find themselves in a holding pattern.Carol Berul of Sacramento, California, retired from state government on Feb. 1. She said she’s still trying to figure out what happened to her Medicare Part B application, which she mailed in January. In her early 70s, Berul said she’s worried her health could be jeopardized by bogged-down paperwork. She has an immune system disorder triggered by a medication that she once took.“I’ve been avoiding going anywhere,” she said.Berul said she’s faced hold times of more than an hour trying to call Social Security. When she finally got through, she learned the agency had no record of her Part B application. She resubmitted it.Berul said Social Security employees she’s talked with have been helpful and empathetic but “with all the people working from home trying to get information from point to point, it’s like a pyramid, and they haven’t connected all the dots.”For John Breithart of Grand Haven, Michigan, it was a different Medicare issue but a similar experience.Breithart, who works for an oil and gas delivery company, turns 65 this year and becomes eligible for Medicare’s Part A inpatient coverage.He’s covered through this wife’s retiree health plan and earlier this month the insurer sent him a letter saying he’d be kicked off if he didn’t provide a Medicare number.Breithart started calling Social Security. He said on one occasion he was on hold for an hour and 52 minutes. Another time a returned call fell through and the case worker didn’t leave a callback number.The logjam finally broke after he contacted his two U.S. senators. Social Security confirmed that his Medicare application had been approved. Breithart quickly called Medicare. After asking a litany of questions, an agent read him his Medicare number over the phone. He was able to complete the relay to his wife’s insurer.“You don’t think of people who don’t have health insurance when you’ve had it all your life,” said Breithart. “Then you get ready to retire and someone says you need a number you don’t have, and it gets stressful.”Social Security said the pandemic did lead lead to much longer telephone holds, but its latest weekly average was down to 45 minutes, depending on when a person calls and whether others are trying at the same time. Agency employees have been able to continue to serve the public by teleworking.According to Webster Phillips, a policy expert with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, wait times before the pandemic averaged around 20 minutes. Social Security has an option to leave your number for a callback.Natalie Kean, a lawyer with the advocacy group Justice in Aging, said, “Going through the normal channels is just going to be slow, and it’s not responsive to the increased need right now.”On Capitol Hill, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said the committee is trying to assess what’s going on.“Seniors should not be penalized for disruptions in service due to the crisis,” Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said in a statement.

Medicare applications raise anxiety for seniors in pandemic

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 297 to a total of 4746, the state health department reported Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;

<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 297 to a total of 4746, the state health department reported Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 131<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/2020/5/1588443066989.png" alt="Saturday May, 2, 2020 KDHE" />
 <figcaption>Saturday May, 2, 2020 KDHE</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

ATLANTA (AP) — Some of the millions of American workers laid off because of the coronavirus are beginning to face a tough choice — return to work and risk infection, or stay home and risk losing unemployment payments.

The decision is most pressing in states where governors have started allowing businesses such as restaurants to reopen with social-distancing restrictions.

Tyler Price, 26, was called back to his job at Del Frisco’s Grille in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood. Tennessee allowed restaurants to open dining rooms at 50% capacity, with servers wearing masks and being tested for fever.

But Price, who has yet to receive any unemployment benefits, is wrestling with what do. He said he is “highly susceptible” to respiratory illness and was hospitalized with pneumonia as a child.

“I know what it feels like to be in a hospital, to be drowning in your own lungs,” said Price, who moved in with his mother near St. Louis after getting laid off. “It’s horrifying. It’s terrible. I don’t want to find myself there.”

He said waiting tables “is impossible to do under social distancing guidelines,” and he would prefer to draw unemployment payments.

On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that the business shutdowns and stay-at-home orders caused by the pandemic have led 30 million Americans to file for unemployment insurance, or roughly 1 of every 6 workers.

The design of the unemployment system adds to the pressure. If an employer calls back laid-off workers, they must report to work or are likely to lose their benefits.

That’s because unemployment insurance is designed to tide people over until they can get back to a job, said Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst with the National Employment Law Project in New York.

“An unemployed worker cannot refuse suitable work and still continue to collect unemployment insurance,” Evermore said. “Presumably, the job you used to have is suitable.”

Fear of getting sick or worries that an employer isn’t providing adequate infection protection are generally not reasons someone can file for benefits. The latter concern is getting more complicated because some businesses are lobbying to keep employees and customers from suing them over coronavirus transmission.

Lacey Ward, a hairstylist in Omaha, Nebraska, filed for unemployment benefits in mid-March and is still waiting for the first payment. She’s been forced to drain her family’s savings and feels increasing pressure to return to work. Still, she is worried that Gov. Pete Ricketts’ decision to let salons reopen Monday could put her, her husband and two young sons at risk.

Ward, 38, said she would prefer to collect unemployment until the risk from the virus subsides and it’s clearer whether she can offer services like shampooing. She co-owns the salon but makes money only off her own clients.

“I would rather be safe than sorry,” Ward said. “We are not an essential field. I haven’t had my hair done in three or four months at this point. But what does it matter? Who are people seeing?”

Ward said she’s so concerned about spreading the virus that she plans to change clothes and wash her hair before she returns home.

“We’re playing with fire, physically touching another person,” she said.

Some workers are ready to go back. Kathryn Marsilli, 33, is a manager and server at The Collins Quarter restaurant in Savannah, Georgia.

She knows she may make less at work because of reduced business and would like a way for those with fears of the virus to stay home. But she said she wants to go back out of loyalty to the owner and because she’s not interested in trying to maximize her unemployment benefits.

“My future where I work is more important to me than trying to get what I can now,” Marsilli said.

Other workers may be tempted to hold on to unemployment. Especially in some low-wage regions, laid-off workers may receive more money with the state benefit and the additional $600 a week provided by Congress than they were on the job. The federal boost ends July 31.

Georgia labor officials are trying to balance the needs of business owners with the genuine concerns of workers. State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said he’s telling businesses that are easing into reopening and don’t need all their employees to call in those who are willing to work and leave the others to the unemployment system.

Georgia also is allowing people to earn up to $300 a week before it begins to eat into their state unemployment benefit, meaning workers could earn more than $1,200 a week in total.

“It was a way we could get more people back to work at reduced hours,” Butler said. “Otherwise, why would you go back to work at all?”

Jennifer Holliday is a manager at a restaurant in Oklahoma City called Zio’s Italian Kitchen, which plans to reopen its dining room Friday. She said getting furloughed employees to return has been difficult. Many are not returning her phone calls or messages.

“There are some who want to just ride it out (until July) and take the unemployment,” Holliday said. “They don’t even have to apply” for other jobs.

ATLANTA (AP) — Some of the millions of American workers laid off because of the coronavirus are beginning to face a tough choice — return to work and risk infection, or stay home and risk losing unemployment payments.The decision is most pressing in states where governors have started allowing businesses such as restaurants to reopen with social-distancing restrictions.Tyler Price, 26, was called back to his job at Del Frisco’s Grille in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood. Tennessee allowed restaurants to open dining rooms at 50% capacity, with servers wearing masks and being tested for fever.But Price, who has yet to receive any unemployment benefits, is wrestling with what do. He said he is “highly susceptible” to respiratory illness and was hospitalized with pneumonia as a child.“I know what it feels like to be in a hospital, to be drowning in your own lungs,” said Price, who moved in with his mother near St. Louis after getting laid off. “It’s horrifying. It’s terrible. I don’t want to find myself there.”He said waiting tables “is impossible to do under social distancing guidelines,” and he would prefer to draw unemployment payments.On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that the business shutdowns and stay-at-home orders caused by the pandemic have led 30 million Americans to file for unemployment insurance, or roughly 1 of every 6 workers.The design of the unemployment system adds to the pressure. If an employer calls back laid-off workers, they must report to work or are likely to lose their benefits.That’s because unemployment insurance is designed to tide people over until they can get back to a job, said Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst with the National Employment Law Project in New York.“An unemployed worker cannot refuse suitable work and still continue to collect unemployment insurance,” Evermore said. “Presumably, the job you used to have is suitable.”Fear of getting sick or worries that an employer isn’t providing adequate infection protection are generally not reasons someone can file for benefits. The latter concern is getting more complicated because some businesses are lobbying to keep employees and customers from suing them over coronavirus transmission.Lacey Ward, a hairstylist in Omaha, Nebraska, filed for unemployment benefits in mid-March and is still waiting for the first payment. She’s been forced to drain her family’s savings and feels increasing pressure to return to work. Still, she is worried that Gov. Pete Ricketts’ decision to let salons reopen Monday could put her, her husband and two young sons at risk.Ward, 38, said she would prefer to collect unemployment until the risk from the virus subsides and it’s clearer whether she can offer services like shampooing. She co-owns the salon but makes money only off her own clients.“I would rather be safe than sorry,” Ward said. “We are not an essential field. I haven’t had my hair done in three or four months at this point. But what does it matter? Who are people seeing?”Ward said she’s so concerned about spreading the virus that she plans to change clothes and wash her hair before she returns home.“We’re playing with fire, physically touching another person,” she said.Some workers are ready to go back. Kathryn Marsilli, 33, is a manager and server at The Collins Quarter restaurant in Savannah, Georgia.She knows she may make less at work because of reduced business and would like a way for those with fears of the virus to stay home. But she said she wants to go back out of loyalty to the owner and because she’s not interested in trying to maximize her unemployment benefits.“My future where I work is more important to me than trying to get what I can now,” Marsilli said.Other workers may be tempted to hold on to unemployment. Especially in some low-wage regions, laid-off workers may receive more money with the state benefit and the additional $600 a week provided by Congress than they were on the job. The federal boost ends July 31.Georgia labor officials are trying to balance the needs of business owners with the genuine concerns of workers. State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said he’s telling businesses that are easing into reopening and don’t need all their employees to call in those who are willing to work and leave the others to the unemployment system.Georgia also is allowing people to earn up to $300 a week before it begins to eat into their state unemployment benefit, meaning workers could earn more than $1,200 a week in total.“It was a way we could get more people back to work at reduced hours,” Butler said. “Otherwise, why would you go back to work at all?”Jennifer Holliday is a manager at a restaurant in Oklahoma City called Zio’s Italian Kitchen, which plans to reopen its dining room Friday. She said getting furloughed employees to return has been difficult. Many are not returning her phone calls or messages.“There are some who want to just ride it out (until July) and take the unemployment,” Holliday said. “They don’t even have to apply” for other jobs.___

Workers must risk infection or losing unemployment payments

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas began releasing inmates this week as a way to check the spread of coronavirus in its prison system, but stopped when an outbreak mushroomed and created a danger of returning infected offenders to their communities, Gov. Laura Kelly said Friday.

Kelly said during an Associated Press interview that the Department of Corrections released only six inmates and put them under house arrest for the rest of their sentences. But confirmed coronavirus cases at the Lansing Correctional Facility outside Kansas City have skyrocketed among inmates and staff, and the prison is under quarantine.

“We got the testing results at Lansing and realized that we had some other work to do before we could let anybody else go,” Kelly said. The Department of Corrections said none of the six released were from Lansing.

Problems at the prison didn’t prevent Kelly from promising to lift a statewide stay-at-home order as planned at midnight Sunday or outlining&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/abd6bb1cfc4f6349d94f853f04b12bcb">a plan</a>&nbsp;to gradually reopen the state’s coronavirus-battered economy by June 15, starting with restaurants and many other businesses Monday. However, her economic plan frustrated some business owners, who won’t be allowed to reopen until at least May 18 while others can.

The state saw a 5% jump in confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, an increase of 221, to 4,449. It recorded a single new COVID-19-related death to make the state’s tally 130 since early March.

Kelly and Dr. Lee Norman, the state’s top public health administrator, said Friday that Kansas expects to receive some 60,000 testing kits from the federal government in May, a key factor in her decision to reopen the state.

The slowdown in economic activity is hitting the state budget. A new fiscal forecast issued less than two weeks ago projects Kansas will see its tax revenues drop 7.8% in the current budget year that began in July 2019. Tax collections in April suggested the new projections are on the mark: The state collected $578 million in taxes for the month, roughly what the new, more pessimistic fiscal forecast projected.

Dr. Drew Miller, a family physician in Lakin in southwest Kansas, said he still will advise people to stay home as much as possible. He said became comfortable with Kelly’s reopening plan as he reviewed it.

“It’s more conservative than what I thought it would be,” Miller said.

Kelly loosened restrictions on religious gatherings that prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1ec624a15ae111e72a20dd6818d64451">a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;by two churches and their pastors. A legal group representing them, Alliance Defending Freedom, announced plans to drop the lawsuit Friday.

But the disparate treatment of different businesses inspired criticism from some business owners. While restaurants can reopen Monday with social distancing and other restrictions, bars, gyms, fitness centers, hair salons and barbershops, among others, have to wait another two weeks at least.

Nathan Hunt, a retired Army platoon sergeant and combat veteran, said he can open his martial arts academy in Junction City safely. He said he can limit class sizes, clean his business thoroughly and put marks on his mats to keep students apart.

“I know how to corral the kittens,” Hunt said. “I don’t need another mom to tell me how to run my business safely.”

The outbreak at the Lansing prison is problematic for the state because 164 inmates living in a single dormitory-style housing unit tested positive without showing any symptoms. Department of Corrections spokeswoman Rebecca Witte said 253 inmates at Lansing have tested positive and two have died. Eighty-six employees — about 21% of the staff — have tested positive as well.

The state plans to test roughly 2,000 Lansing inmates and staff this weekend, Norman said.

There also are infections among either staff or inmates in four other correctional facilities, although they are much smaller, the agency said.

Kelly has faced pressure from inmates’ families and an American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas state-court lawsuit to release some inmates.

The ACLU accused the department in a statement of “delay in addressing the very real threat posed by COVID-19 to the incarcerated, to corrections staff, and to the community.”

Kelly said other inmates “on the list” for being released early and put under house arrest “really are victims of the pandemic.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588352329083.png" alt="Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during her televised address on Thursday" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during her televised address on Thursday</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas began releasing inmates this week as a way to check the spread of coronavirus in its prison system, but stopped when an outbreak mushroomed and created a danger of returning infected offenders to their communities, Gov. Laura Kelly said Friday.Kelly said during an Associated Press interview that the Department of Corrections released only six inmates and put them under house arrest for the rest of their sentences. But confirmed coronavirus cases at the Lansing Correctional Facility outside Kansas City have skyrocketed among inmates and staff, and the prison is under quarantine.“We got the testing results at Lansing and realized that we had some other work to do before we could let anybody else go,” Kelly said. The Department of Corrections said none of the six released were from Lansing.Problems at the prison didn’t prevent Kelly from promising to lift a statewide stay-at-home order as planned at midnight Sunday or outlining&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/abd6bb1cfc4f6349d94f853f04b12bcb">a plan</a>&nbsp;to gradually reopen the state’s coronavirus-battered economy by June 15, starting with restaurants and many other businesses Monday. However, her economic plan frustrated some business owners, who won’t be allowed to reopen until at least May 18 while others can.The state saw a 5% jump in confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, an increase of 221, to 4,449. It recorded a single new COVID-19-related death to make the state’s tally 130 since early March.Kelly and Dr. Lee Norman, the state’s top public health administrator, said Friday that Kansas expects to receive some 60,000 testing kits from the federal government in May, a key factor in her decision to reopen the state.The slowdown in economic activity is hitting the state budget. A new fiscal forecast issued less than two weeks ago projects Kansas will see its tax revenues drop 7.8% in the current budget year that began in July 2019. Tax collections in April suggested the new projections are on the mark: The state collected $578 million in taxes for the month, roughly what the new, more pessimistic fiscal forecast projected.Dr. Drew Miller, a family physician in Lakin in southwest Kansas, said he still will advise people to stay home as much as possible. He said became comfortable with Kelly’s reopening plan as he reviewed it.“It’s more conservative than what I thought it would be,” Miller said.Kelly loosened restrictions on religious gatherings that prompted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1ec624a15ae111e72a20dd6818d64451">a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;by two churches and their pastors. A legal group representing them, Alliance Defending Freedom, announced plans to drop the lawsuit Friday.But the disparate treatment of different businesses inspired criticism from some business owners. While restaurants can reopen Monday with social distancing and other restrictions, bars, gyms, fitness centers, hair salons and barbershops, among others, have to wait another two weeks at least.Nathan Hunt, a retired Army platoon sergeant and combat veteran, said he can open his martial arts academy in Junction City safely. He said he can limit class sizes, clean his business thoroughly and put marks on his mats to keep students apart.“I know how to corral the kittens,” Hunt said. “I don’t need another mom to tell me how to run my business safely.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586514248901.png" alt="Two inmates at the Lansing Prison have died as a result of the virus." />
 <figcaption>Two inmates at the Lansing Prison have died as a result of the virus.</figcaption>
 </figure>The outbreak at the Lansing prison is problematic for the state because 164 inmates living in a single dormitory-style housing unit tested positive without showing any symptoms. Department of Corrections spokeswoman Rebecca Witte said 253 inmates at Lansing have tested positive and two have died. Eighty-six employees — about 21% of the staff — have tested positive as well.The state plans to test roughly 2,000 Lansing inmates and staff this weekend, Norman said.There also are infections among either staff or inmates in four other correctional facilities, although they are much smaller, the agency said.Kelly has faced pressure from inmates’ families and an American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas state-court lawsuit to release some inmates.The ACLU accused the department in a statement of “delay in addressing the very real threat posed by COVID-19 to the incarcerated, to corrections staff, and to the community.”Kelly said other inmates “on the list” for being released early and put under house arrest “really are victims of the pandemic.”___

Coronavirus outbreak prompts Kansas to stop prison releases

WASHINGTON&nbsp;- U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/covid-19-high-impact-allocation.pdf#page=5" target="_blank">announced $400 million to Kansas Hospitals</a>&nbsp;from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) delivered through the Provider Relief Fund established in the Phase III&nbsp;Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“Hospitals across Kansas are hurting financially due to COVID-19, some because of the number of cases they are treating and others because they are having to cancel non-emergency procedures and surgeries to prevent the spread of COVID-19,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“Our hospital and health care providers are on the frontline of this pandemic, and these grants will help provide them with resources to continue fighting COVID-19 and keep their doors open to help patients when this crisis has passed.”

The first grant is for $18 million that will be distributed to a high-impact hospital in Kansas that has treated a large number of COVID-19 cases. The additional $382 million will be distributed among 201 rural health care providers that are impacted by COVID-19.

WASHINGTON&nbsp;- U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/covid-19-high-impact-allocation.pdf#page=5" target="_blank">announced $400 million to Kansas Hospitals</a>&nbsp;from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) delivered through the Provider Relief Fund established in the Phase III&nbsp;Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.“Hospitals across Kansas are hurting financially due to COVID-19, some because of the number of cases they are treating and others because they are having to cancel non-emergency procedures and surgeries to prevent the spread of COVID-19,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“Our hospital and health care providers are on the frontline of this pandemic, and these grants will help provide them with resources to continue fighting COVID-19 and keep their doors open to help patients when this crisis has passed.”The first grant is for $18 million that will be distributed to a high-impact hospital in Kansas that has treated a large number of COVID-19 cases. The additional $382 million will be distributed among 201 rural health care providers that are impacted by COVID-19.

Sen. Moran announces $400 million to Kansas hospitals impacted by COVID-19

Geary County officials have unveiled a four-phase plan for reopening the economy and activities once the Governor's Stay at Home order ends Sunday night.

Health Officer Tammy Von Busch said the four phases will gradually increase the number of people that are allowed in facilities. The first one will allow a maximum of 10 people at gatherings. "The next one will allow 30, phase three will allow 90 and then phase four will be to open up like normal."

Von Busch credited the public for flattening the curve of the coronavirus and maintaining the health of the community. She said during the next step we need to be aware the risk is still present and social distancing, cough etiquette and avoid activities that put people at increased risk of contracting the spreading the disease.

Von Busch encouraged businesses to allow telehealth, and members of the community to wear masks. She noted in Phase one, "gyms and fitness centers, beauty and barbershops, tatoo parlors and other personal service businesses will remain closed. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed for curbside and carryout service. theaters, other indoor leisure activities, swimming pools, playground equipment, summer camps, organized sports facilities,&nbsp; fairs, festivals, carnivals, parades, commencements and graduation will remain closed. Self service food and beverages will not be allowed. " Phase one will run until May 18th.

Von Busch noted that under the Governor's direction the activities and number of gatherings will gradually increase as she phases in new plans.

Von Busch noted that each phase is intended to cover 14 days but she guessed the plan it could be modified, depending on how the situation progresses.

In phase one restaurants will be able to reopen. explained Von Busch. "We're going to allow the restaurants to open in compliance with the governor's orders. They need to maintain the six-foot distancing, no more than 10 in a group of people that come in, the governor's order states that they have to have some kind of a physical barrier. So they're going to have to come up with something, obviously booths." The Health officer added, "Tables they're going to have to be sure that they've got enough distance and some way of preventing people from coming in contact with each other."

Garry Berges, Geary County Emergency Management Director, said the Emergency Operations Center was activated for COVID-19 for the first time back on March 13th. It consists of representatives law enforcement, fire department, emergency management and the health department with support from other agencies and departments. "I want to thank all these agencies and personnel for working together as we come up with a plan to continue to keep all of our citizens safe as we tackle the coronavirus as a unified group."

Berges said it has not been the decisions of one individual department but was a joint effort in determining what was best for local citizens. "Personal safety along with employee safety is our priority as we move forward."

Berges noted in recent weeks there have been communications with Pottawatomie and Riley County EOC staff. We have attempted to have all three plans somewhat mirror each other as many of our local citizens travel to and / or work in either Riley or Pottawatomie County." Berges added, By following the Governor's order and the new Geary County order as long as we can keep the virus from spreading locally in a couple of weeks we can move to even less restrictions."

Geary County officials have unveiled a four-phase plan for reopening the economy and activities once the Governor's Stay at Home order ends Sunday night.Health Officer Tammy Von Busch said the four phases will gradually increase the number of people that are allowed in facilities. The first one will allow a maximum of 10 people at gatherings. "The next one will allow 30, phase three will allow 90 and then phase four will be to open up like normal."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588375339015.jpeg" alt="Tammy Von Busch speaking at the podium" />
 <figcaption>Tammy Von Busch speaking at the podium</figcaption>
 </figure>Von Busch credited the public for flattening the curve of the coronavirus and maintaining the health of the community. She said during the next step we need to be aware the risk is still present and social distancing, cough etiquette and avoid activities that put people at increased risk of contracting the spreading the disease.Von Busch encouraged businesses to allow telehealth, and members of the community to wear masks. She noted in Phase one, "gyms and fitness centers, beauty and barbershops, tatoo parlors and other personal service businesses will remain closed. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed for curbside and carryout service. theaters, other indoor leisure activities, swimming pools, playground equipment, summer camps, organized sports facilities,&nbsp; fairs, festivals, carnivals, parades, commencements and graduation will remain closed. Self service food and beverages will not be allowed. " Phase one will run until May 18th.Von Busch noted that under the Governor's direction the activities and number of gatherings will gradually increase as she phases in new plans.Von Busch noted that each phase is intended to cover 14 days but she guessed the plan it could be modified, depending on how the situation progresses.In phase one restaurants will be able to reopen. explained Von Busch. "We're going to allow the restaurants to open in compliance with the governor's orders. They need to maintain the six-foot distancing, no more than 10 in a group of people that come in, the governor's order states that they have to have some kind of a physical barrier. So they're going to have to come up with something, obviously booths." The Health officer added, "Tables they're going to have to be sure that they've got enough distance and some way of preventing people from coming in contact with each other."Garry Berges, Geary County Emergency Management Director, said the Emergency Operations Center was activated for COVID-19 for the first time back on March 13th. It consists of representatives law enforcement, fire department, emergency management and the health department with support from other agencies and departments. "I want to thank all these agencies and personnel for working together as we come up with a plan to continue to keep all of our citizens safe as we tackle the coronavirus as a unified group."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588377423557.jpeg" alt="Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges" />
 <figcaption>Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges</figcaption>
 </figure>Berges said it has not been the decisions of one individual department but was a joint effort in determining what was best for local citizens. "Personal safety along with employee safety is our priority as we move forward."Berges noted in recent weeks there have been communications with Pottawatomie and Riley County EOC staff. We have attempted to have all three plans somewhat mirror each other as many of our local citizens travel to and / or work in either Riley or Pottawatomie County." Berges added, By following the Governor's order and the new Geary County order as long as we can keep the virus from spreading locally in a couple of weeks we can move to even less restrictions."

Geary County will follow a four-phase plan for COVID-19 reopening

The Board of Directors for the Junction City Community Band has canceled their concert season for 2020. The interest and concern for the health and safety of their musicians and audience were cited as factors in the decision.

Members making the announcement included Ronald Atkinson Jr., Deb Breidenstein, Sue Hornbaker, Daniel O'Brien and Vic Wong.

The band normally performs a series of concerts at the Opera House in June.

The Board of Directors for the Junction City Community Band has canceled their concert season for 2020. The interest and concern for the health and safety of their musicians and audience were cited as factors in the decision.Members making the announcement included Ronald Atkinson Jr., Deb Breidenstein, Sue Hornbaker, Daniel O'Brien and Vic Wong.The band normally performs a series of concerts at the Opera House in June.

Community Band cancels their season

TOPEKA, Kansas – Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced Friday that one staff member working at El Dorado Correctional Facility (EDCF) tested positive for COVID-19. 

This is the fifth KDOC facility with confirmed cases, including Lansing Correctional Facility, Wichita Work Release Facility, Topeka Correctional Facility and Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex.

The staff member is a male over the age of 30. In order to protect the identity of the staff member, no other information will be released.

The KDOC has been in consultation with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on next steps to address these circumstances. As a result of that consultation with KDHE, the following steps are being implemented immediately:

“As with our other facilities, at El Dorado we have coordinated our response with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,” Zmuda said. “The expertise and support of KDHE is invaluable as we address the challenges that this virus presents.”

The 1,955 bed El Dorado Correctional Facility opened in 1991 and was expanded in 1995 and 2001. The facility is designed for&nbsp;maximum- and medium-custody residents and to serve as the Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) for all adult males sentenced to KDOC. In RDU, residents receive orientation and are assigned to a custody classification, appropriate programs and a permanent housing assignment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588370358515.png" alt="El Dorado Correctional Facility -photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>El Dorado Correctional Facility -photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kansas – Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced Friday that one staff member working at El Dorado Correctional Facility (EDCF) tested positive for COVID-19. This is the fifth KDOC facility with confirmed cases, including Lansing Correctional Facility, Wichita Work Release Facility, Topeka Correctional Facility and Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex.The staff member is a male over the age of 30. In order to protect the identity of the staff member, no other information will be released.The KDOC has been in consultation with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on next steps to address these circumstances. As a result of that consultation with KDHE, the following steps are being implemented immediately:<ol>
 <li>KDHE conducted contact tracing to determine who among our staff and residents have been in close contact with this individual</li><li>The Butler County Health Department conducted contact tracing to identify anyone outside of EDCF who may have been in close contact with this individual and will notify those persons</li><li>KDOC will remain diligent in monitoring other staff and residents for symptoms</li>
 </ol>“As with our other facilities, at El Dorado we have coordinated our response with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,” Zmuda said. “The expertise and support of KDHE is invaluable as we address the challenges that this virus presents.”The 1,955 bed El Dorado Correctional Facility opened in 1991 and was expanded in 1995 and 2001. The facility is designed for&nbsp;maximum- and medium-custody residents and to serve as the Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) for all adult males sentenced to KDOC. In RDU, residents receive orientation and are assigned to a custody classification, appropriate programs and a permanent housing assignment.

5th Kansas correctional facility reports case of coronavirus

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Nearly 300 workers at a northwestern Missouri pork processing plant have tested positive for the coronavirus, state health officials said Friday.

The Triumph Foods plant in St. Joseph is the latest of several meat plants around the country to see huge spikes in confirmed cases of the virus.

Missouri’s health department oversaw testing this week of more than 2,300 asymptomatic workers at the plant. Dr. Randall Williams, director of the department, said in an interview that results for the first 1,625 asymptomatic workers showed that 259 tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Thirty-six others previously tested positive.

Results are still pending for 709 workers.

The infected workers are being told to self-isolate, and efforts are underway to determine who they've had contact with. But Williams is not recommending closure of the plant.

“We think the work they do is incredibly valuable, and these are asymptomatic employees,” Williams said. “So we feel like by working with our normal public health epidemiological case tracing, we can isolate and quarantine these patients.”

Meat plants often employ hundreds of people working next to each other, which can help facilitate the virus' spread.

But Williams said it’s uncertain where the St. Joseph workers contracted the virus.

“It’s very reasonable they may have gotten it not from work but from where they live, who they live with,” Williams said.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week requiring meatpacking plants to stay open amid the coronavirus crisis after more than 20 plants suspended operations under pressure from local authorities and their own workers.

Gov. Mike Parson’s stay-at-home order ends Sunday, and businesses can reopen with some restrictions starting Monday. Members of the St. Joseph City Council met Thursday night and decided to allow the city to reopen despite the Triumph Foods outbreak, city spokeswoman Mary Robertson said.

The risk of outbreaks at places like prisons, nursing homes and meat plants prompted Missouri to begin what Williams calls a “boxed-in” approach to testing. Under the plan, when a potential hot spot is determined, the state tests everyone.

Williams said Missouri now has the ability to perform more than 50,000 tests per week, thanks to a strong focus on expanding testing that includes partnering with private companies.

“Other states haven't done that, but we have,” Williams said. "We have greatly built up a very purposeful capacity to test.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1588361396379.jpeg" alt="Northwest Missouri Health Services testing site/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Northwest Missouri Health Services testing site/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Nearly 300 workers at a northwestern Missouri pork processing plant have tested positive for the coronavirus, state health officials said Friday.The Triumph Foods plant in St. Joseph is the latest of several meat plants around the country to see huge spikes in confirmed cases of the virus.Missouri’s health department oversaw testing this week of more than 2,300 asymptomatic workers at the plant. Dr. Randall Williams, director of the department, said in an interview that results for the first 1,625 asymptomatic workers showed that 259 tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Thirty-six others previously tested positive.Results are still pending for 709 workers.The infected workers are being told to self-isolate, and efforts are underway to determine who they've had contact with. But Williams is not recommending closure of the plant.“We think the work they do is incredibly valuable, and these are asymptomatic employees,” Williams said. “So we feel like by working with our normal public health epidemiological case tracing, we can isolate and quarantine these patients.”Meat plants often employ hundreds of people working next to each other, which can help facilitate the virus' spread.But Williams said it’s uncertain where the St. Joseph workers contracted the virus.“It’s very reasonable they may have gotten it not from work but from where they live, who they live with,” Williams said.President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week requiring meatpacking plants to stay open amid the coronavirus crisis after more than 20 plants suspended operations under pressure from local authorities and their own workers.Gov. Mike Parson’s stay-at-home order ends Sunday, and businesses can reopen with some restrictions starting Monday. Members of the St. Joseph City Council met Thursday night and decided to allow the city to reopen despite the Triumph Foods outbreak, city spokeswoman Mary Robertson said.The risk of outbreaks at places like prisons, nursing homes and meat plants prompted Missouri to begin what Williams calls a “boxed-in” approach to testing. Under the plan, when a potential hot spot is determined, the state tests everyone.Williams said Missouri now has the ability to perform more than 50,000 tests per week, thanks to a strong focus on expanding testing that includes partnering with private companies.“Other states haven't done that, but we have,” Williams said. "We have greatly built up a very purposeful capacity to test.”

Nearly 300 workers have virus at NW Missouri pork plant

Friday was cap and gown pickup for JCHS Class of 2020.&nbsp; JCHS set up the materials in the parking lot to make the process easy for families and students, and so that everyone adheres to current social distancing guidelines.&nbsp;

However, teachers, coaches, and community members wanted to be sure that the students knew that they are supported. So, many people came to JCHS early today to hang signs and messages of encouragement for the students along the fence of Al Simpler Stadium.

Some teachers and coaches have decided to stay the entire day and hold up their signs so that seniors know they have support from the staff.&nbsp; In addition to the staff, Margie Pinaire, longtime supporter of the district and member of the Geary County Schools Foundation, was on site and wearing her Blue Jay head to show her support as well.&nbsp; Melissa Sharp, Principal at JCHS, was handing out sunglasses and sashes to seniors.

Some staff members wore graduation gowns and music was played over a speaker to help keep spirits high.&nbsp; All staff wore masks, and those that were handing out materials wore gloves to ensure the health and safety of students was still the main priority. It was clear that the teachers and staff at JCHS miss interacting with their students every day, and that they still want to encourage and support their success.

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 </figure>By Sacha DentUSD 475Friday was cap and gown pickup for JCHS Class of 2020.&nbsp; JCHS set up the materials in the parking lot to make the process easy for families and students, and so that everyone adheres to current social distancing guidelines.&nbsp;However, teachers, coaches, and community members wanted to be sure that the students knew that they are supported. So, many people came to JCHS early today to hang signs and messages of encouragement for the students along the fence of Al Simpler Stadium.Some teachers and coaches have decided to stay the entire day and hold up their signs so that seniors know they have support from the staff.&nbsp; In addition to the staff, Margie Pinaire, longtime supporter of the district and member of the Geary County Schools Foundation, was on site and wearing her Blue Jay head to show her support as well.&nbsp; Melissa Sharp, Principal at JCHS, was handing out sunglasses and sashes to seniors.Some staff members wore graduation gowns and music was played over a speaker to help keep spirits high.&nbsp; All staff wore masks, and those that were handing out materials wore gloves to ensure the health and safety of students was still the main priority. It was clear that the teachers and staff at JCHS miss interacting with their students every day, and that they still want to encourage and support their success.<figure>
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Cap and Gown pickup includes a surprise for the seniors

Junction City, KS – In response to the widening concerns over COVID-19 and in an effort to better safeguard the health of of patients, caregivers, their families and the general public, Geary Community Hospital has established a new, temporary face mask policy.

Effective, Monday, May 4th all patients, vendors and staff are to wear a mask at all times while in the hospital. If a patient does not have a mask one will be provided to them.

The Hospital will also continue visitor restrictions that have previously been set forth.

No outside visitors will be permitted with the exception of:

• Labor &amp; Delivery- may bring one adult companion only

• A minor (under 18)- may bring one adult companion only

• End of Life Care- may bring one adult companion only

Geary Community Hospital will continue to implement the below restrictions in addition to the ones above.

• Only the Emergency Room doors will be available.

• There will be a formal check-in and check-out process for everyone utilizing the Emergency Room door, including the use of visitor badges. If a patient or visitor does not have a badge, they will be escorted out of the buildings immediately.

• Loitering, social visits, and public access to the cafeteria will not be allowed during this time.

• Every person must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms upon entering the hospital- no exceptions.

• All vendors and contractors must access through the same point of entrance/exit in the Emergency Room, unless other plans have been approved by authorized GCH personnel.

• Security personnel will be enhanced during this time in order to protect citizens’ safety and to assist in enforcing these temporary rules.

Junction City, KS – In response to the widening concerns over COVID-19 and in an effort to better safeguard the health of of patients, caregivers, their families and the general public, Geary Community Hospital has established a new, temporary face mask policy.Effective, Monday, May 4th all patients, vendors and staff are to wear a mask at all times while in the hospital. If a patient does not have a mask one will be provided to them.The Hospital will also continue visitor restrictions that have previously been set forth.No outside visitors will be permitted with the exception of:• Labor &amp; Delivery- may bring one adult companion only• A minor (under 18)- may bring one adult companion only• End of Life Care- may bring one adult companion onlyGeary Community Hospital will continue to implement the below restrictions in addition to the ones above.• Only the Emergency Room doors will be available.• There will be a formal check-in and check-out process for everyone utilizing the Emergency Room door, including the use of visitor badges. If a patient or visitor does not have a badge, they will be escorted out of the buildings immediately.• Loitering, social visits, and public access to the cafeteria will not be allowed during this time.• Every person must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms upon entering the hospital- no exceptions.• All vendors and contractors must access through the same point of entrance/exit in the Emergency Room, unless other plans have been approved by authorized GCH personnel.• Security personnel will be enhanced during this time in order to protect citizens’ safety and to assist in enforcing these temporary rules.

Coronavirus Update