RAYTOWN, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas City area police officer shot and killed an man at a Walmart.

Raytown police Capt. Dyon Harper said the officer was in uniform and working at the store in an off-duty capacity Saturday night when an armed man entered the store. Harper says the officer then “encountered the man and shots were fired."

It wasn't immediately clear what led up to the shooting or where exactly in the store it happened.

The man died at the scene. Police did not immediately release his name.

Harper said the officer was not injured, and has been placed on administrative leave. No other injuries were reported.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587333314831.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation- photo <a href="https://www.kctv5.com/news/local_news/officer-fatally-shoots-armed-man-at-raytown-walmart/article_61466d48-81e4-11ea-92bc-9b6f8cd19692.html">courtesy KCTV</a>" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation- photo <a href="https://www.kctv5.com/news/local_news/officer-fatally-shoots-armed-man-at-raytown-walmart/article_61466d48-81e4-11ea-92bc-9b6f8cd19692.html">courtesy KCTV</a></figcaption>
 </figure>RAYTOWN, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas City area police officer shot and killed an man at a Walmart.Raytown police Capt. Dyon Harper said the officer was in uniform and working at the store in an off-duty capacity Saturday night when an armed man entered the store. Harper says the officer then “encountered the man and shots were fired."It wasn't immediately clear what led up to the shooting or where exactly in the store it happened.The man died at the scene. Police did not immediately release his name.Harper said the officer was not injured, and has been placed on administrative leave. No other injuries were reported.The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating.

Officer shoots, kills man at Kansas City-area Walmart

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

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen on felony charges after an arrest.&nbsp;

Just after 7p.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County Fugitive Warrants Unit served an arrest warrant in the 1400 block of SW Byron Street, according to Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.

While serving the warrant, deputies observed narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside the residence.

The Shawnee County Drug Task Force then executed a search warrant on the residence, and seized a Springfield XD semi-automatic pistol, Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, Over 50 packages of THC edibles,&nbsp;Over 100 suspected unlawful pills (which will be sent to KBI for further analysis, Various types of ammunition.

They also arrested Jeremiah M. Guesby, 17, of Topeka, was arrested on on requested charges of Felony probation violation, Misdemeanor probation violation and Interference with law enforcement, according to Stallbaumer.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen on felony charges after an arrest.&nbsp;Just after 7p.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County Fugitive Warrants Unit served an arrest warrant in the 1400 block of SW Byron Street, according to Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.While serving the warrant, deputies observed narcotics and drug paraphernalia inside the residence.The Shawnee County Drug Task Force then executed a search warrant on the residence, and seized a Springfield XD semi-automatic pistol, Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, Over 50 packages of THC edibles,&nbsp;Over 100 suspected unlawful pills (which will be sent to KBI for further analysis, Various types of ammunition.They also arrested Jeremiah M. Guesby, 17, of Topeka, was arrested on on requested charges of Felony probation violation, Misdemeanor probation violation and Interference with law enforcement, according to Stallbaumer.

Sheriff: 17-year-old had weapons, drugs at Kan. home

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;

<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&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="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>--------------

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

Robert and Adlynn Harte, retired CIA
 employees, sued after sheriff's deputies raided their home looking for 
marijuana and found a tomato-growing operation in their basement 
instead. 

By DAN MARGOLIES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-04-17/leawood-couple-targeted-in-bungled-marijuana-raid-settles-case-against-sheriffs-deputies">Kansas News Service</a>

A Leawood, Kansas, couple whose home was raided by a police tactical 
team in a bungled search for marijuana has settled its civil suit 
against the Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies who led the operation.

The
 amount of the settlement with Robert and Adlynn Harte, retired CIA 
employees, is unknown because the settlement document has been sealed. 
But U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum ruled he would unseal it once the
 parties have redacted portions related to the Hartes’ children.

Cheryl
 Pilate, an attorney for the Hartes, said the case had been "resolved to
 the mutual satisfaction of the parties." Larry Ferree III, a lawyer for
 the defendants, said the same thing. 

The case, which drew <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2017/12/19/jury-rules-against-family-subjected-to-swat-raid-over-loose-leaf-tea/" target="_blank">national headlines</a>, had a long, tortuous history.

The
 Hartes’ lawsuit was originally filed in 2013 and sought millions of 
dollars in damages for trespass, false arrest, assault and outrageous 
conduct that caused them severe emotional distress.

The Hartes 
sued after Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies raided their Leawood home 
in April 2012, eight months after Robert Harte and his two young 
children visited a hydroponic-gardening store and bought a small bag of 
supplies as part of a tomato-growing project in their basement.

A 
Missouri Highway Patrol officer was parked nearby, surveilling the store
 for people who might be buying supplies for indoor marijuana growing 
operations.

Based on the officer’s tip, Johnson County sheriff’s 
deputies rooted through the Hartes’ trash and found wet green vegetation
 mixed in with kitchen trash. After deputies conducted a field test and 
determined the vegetation was marijuana, seven officers clad in black 
SWAT uniforms and brandishing 9 mm Glocks, an AR-15 assault rifle and a 
battering ram pounded on the Hartes’ door and burst in, guns drawn, at 
around 7:30 a.m. on April 20, 2012, a day celebrated by marijuana 
activists.

Robert Harte was forced face-down to the floor, 
shirtless, as the deputies searched the house for more than two hours. 
All four family members, including the Harte children, were detained in 
the living room under armed guard.

The search proved fruitless, 
even after the deputies called in a drug dog. No marijuana was found and
 the vegetation in the trash turned out to be nothing more than 
loose-leaf tea.

The sheriff’s office claimed its search was 
conducted pursuant to a valid search warrant and the deputies were 
legally justified in detaining the family while the search was ongoing.

Lungstrum,
 the federal trial judge, dismissed the lawsuit in 2015 after finding 
the deputies were protected by qualified immunity and, in any event, 
could not have known their field tests on the vegetation had produced 
false positives.

The Hartes appealed and an appeals court panel partially reversed Lungstrum, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/government/2017-07-25/leawood-couple-whose-home-was-raided-in-bungled-marijuana-search-to-get-day-in-court">allowing the Hartes to proceed to trial</a>. In December 2017, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2017-12-12/jury-rules-against-leawood-family-whose-home-was-raided-in-bungled-marijuana-search">a jury found against the Hartes</a> and in favor of the sheriff’s deputies.

The
 Hartes appealed again. This time, the appeals court panel handed down 
three separate opinions, which led to confusion and prompted the panel 
to issue a lengthy clarifying opinion later. 

In that opinion, the
 panel ruled that the Hartes could proceed to try their claims that the 
sheriff’s deputies improperly executed the search warrant; exceeded the 
scope of the warrant by searching for evidence of general criminal 
activity and not just a marijuana grow operation; and prolonged the 
Hartes’ detention, thus subjecting them to an illegal arrest.

The settlement resolves those claims, bringing an end to the case eight years after the raid on the Hartes’ home.

Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor at KCUR. You can reach him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DanMargolies" target="_blank">@DanMargolies</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587153950005.png" alt="The Hartes purchased a hydroponic tomato-growing project similar to this one, which led sheriff's deputies to search their basement for an alleged marijuana operation. Plantlady233 / Wikimedia" />
 <figcaption>The Hartes purchased a hydroponic tomato-growing project similar to this one, which led sheriff's deputies to search their basement for an alleged marijuana operation. Plantlady233 / Wikimedia</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Robert and Adlynn Harte, retired CIA
 employees, sued after sheriff's deputies raided their home looking for 
marijuana and found a tomato-growing operation in their basement 
instead. </h2>By DAN MARGOLIES <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-04-17/leawood-couple-targeted-in-bungled-marijuana-raid-settles-case-against-sheriffs-deputies">Kansas News Service</a>A Leawood, Kansas, couple whose home was raided by a police tactical 
team in a bungled search for marijuana has settled its civil suit 
against the Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies who led the operation.The
 amount of the settlement with Robert and Adlynn Harte, retired CIA 
employees, is unknown because the settlement document has been sealed. 
But U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum ruled he would unseal it once the
 parties have redacted portions related to the Hartes’ children.Cheryl
 Pilate, an attorney for the Hartes, said the case had been "resolved to
 the mutual satisfaction of the parties." Larry Ferree III, a lawyer for
 the defendants, said the same thing. The case, which drew <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2017/12/19/jury-rules-against-family-subjected-to-swat-raid-over-loose-leaf-tea/" target="_blank">national headlines</a>, had a long, tortuous history.The
 Hartes’ lawsuit was originally filed in 2013 and sought millions of 
dollars in damages for trespass, false arrest, assault and outrageous 
conduct that caused them severe emotional distress.The Hartes 
sued after Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies raided their Leawood home 
in April 2012, eight months after Robert Harte and his two young 
children visited a hydroponic-gardening store and bought a small bag of 
supplies as part of a tomato-growing project in their basement.A 
Missouri Highway Patrol officer was parked nearby, surveilling the store
 for people who might be buying supplies for indoor marijuana growing 
operations.Based on the officer’s tip, Johnson County sheriff’s 
deputies rooted through the Hartes’ trash and found wet green vegetation
 mixed in with kitchen trash. After deputies conducted a field test and 
determined the vegetation was marijuana, seven officers clad in black 
SWAT uniforms and brandishing 9 mm Glocks, an AR-15 assault rifle and a 
battering ram pounded on the Hartes’ door and burst in, guns drawn, at 
around 7:30 a.m. on April 20, 2012, a day celebrated by marijuana 
activists.Robert Harte was forced face-down to the floor, 
shirtless, as the deputies searched the house for more than two hours. 
All four family members, including the Harte children, were detained in 
the living room under armed guard.The search proved fruitless, 
even after the deputies called in a drug dog. No marijuana was found and
 the vegetation in the trash turned out to be nothing more than 
loose-leaf tea.The sheriff’s office claimed its search was 
conducted pursuant to a valid search warrant and the deputies were 
legally justified in detaining the family while the search was ongoing.Lungstrum,
 the federal trial judge, dismissed the lawsuit in 2015 after finding 
the deputies were protected by qualified immunity and, in any event, 
could not have known their field tests on the vegetation had produced 
false positives.The Hartes appealed and an appeals court panel partially reversed Lungstrum, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/government/2017-07-25/leawood-couple-whose-home-was-raided-in-bungled-marijuana-search-to-get-day-in-court">allowing the Hartes to proceed to trial</a>. In December 2017, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2017-12-12/jury-rules-against-leawood-family-whose-home-was-raided-in-bungled-marijuana-search">a jury found against the Hartes</a> and in favor of the sheriff’s deputies.The
 Hartes appealed again. This time, the appeals court panel handed down 
three separate opinions, which led to confusion and prompted the panel 
to issue a lengthy clarifying opinion later. In that opinion, the
 panel ruled that the Hartes could proceed to try their claims that the 
sheriff’s deputies improperly executed the search warrant; exceeded the 
scope of the warrant by searching for evidence of general criminal 
activity and not just a marijuana grow operation; and prolonged the 
Hartes’ detention, thus subjecting them to an illegal arrest.The settlement resolves those claims, bringing an end to the case eight years after the raid on the Hartes’ home.Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor at KCUR. You can reach him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DanMargolies" target="_blank">@DanMargolies</a>.

Kan. couple targeted in bungled pot raid settles case against deputies 

NEW YORK (AP) - Tanzania's president claimed the coronavirus "cannot sit in the body of Christ." Israel's health minister dismissed a potential curfew by saying that "the Messiah will come and save us." A global Muslim missionary movement held mass gatherings - and took blame for spreading the disease.

While most leaders of major religions have supported governments' efforts to fight the pandemic by limiting gatherings, a minority of the faithful - in both religious and secular institutions - have not.

Some have insisted that in-person worship should continue because of the relief it can provide. Others have suggested that faith is an authority higher than science, and belief can turn back contagion.

The struggle to adapt religious behaviors to a pandemic that doesn't distinguish between denominations or national boundaries was especially urgent in its earliest weeks, before many countries fully locked down. But as more officials trace virus hot spots back to faith gatherings, calls have grown louder for the devout to protect each other's physical well-being first.

"One of the things that most religious faiths stress in the first instance is to care for the most vulnerable in a community, to save others' lives as a primary focus," said L. Gregory Jones, dean of Duke University's divinity school.

But for some people of faith -- particularly those whose churches, synagogues and mosques are important community centers - that focus appears to conflict with the very fabric of their lives.

In majority-Christian Tanzania, President John Magufuli told a church congregation last month that he was "not afraid of coming here" because the virus could be combatted with belief.

Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman had insisted on exempting synagogues and other religious institutions from limits on public gatherings, according to Israeli media reports, only to come down with the virus himself this month -- apparently after failing to heed the social distancing precautions he had publicly preached.

Litzman is now widely seen as a symbol of lax attitudes that led to a disproportionate number of cases in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community that he belongs to, which makes up just over 10% of the population. Though he dismissed a possible Passover curfew last month, Israel ultimately imposed a national lockdown on the holiday's first night.

In India, the Muslim missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat came under fire with the online circulation of an audio clip said to be of its chief Maulana Saad, urging the faithful to continue to congregate at mosques.

"They say that the infection will spread if you gather at a mosque, this is false," Saad told worshippers. "If you die by coming to the mosque, then this is the best place to die."

A spokesman for Jamaat, Mujeeb ur Rehman, said the recording was taken out of context.

"There was no malice in it," he said. "During the same sermon, he also went on to ask his followers to follow the government guidelines to battle the spread of the virus."

Indeed, many Muslim clerics and religious authorities across the world have worked to promote mosque closures or other restrictions.

But the Pakistani government -- accused of moving too slowly to curb gatherings -- refused to order mosques closed. Instead, it limited congregants to five or less. Still, some hardliners remained defiant despite advice to stay at home from the country's Islamic Ideology Council. Maulana Abdul Aziz, a cleric at the Red Mosque in Islamabad, urged the faithful to challenge restrictions, arguing it was a sin to keep mosques empty.

In India, authorities said they linked hundreds of infections to Tablighi Jamaat's activities and accused the movement's leadership of negligence. The news inflamed religious tensions and sparked hateful comments against the nation's Muslim minority.

Rehman acknowledged that "Jamaat was careless on its part, but the government is guilty too. First they failed to stem the outbreak and now they are turning the pandemic into a communal issue."

Most U.S. religious services have paused or shifted online as the federal government discourages group gatherings to help contain the virus. But a few faith leaders and congregants in America, where religious freedom was already a political minefield, have rebelled against those limits and claimed an incursion on their rights.

Others have taken less aggressive steps to assert the power of communal worship, pointing to what they see as the ability of belief to heal the pandemic's spiritual pain. Retired Catholic moral theologian Janet Smith is among those in her faith urging bishops to support the restoration of the holy sacraments, delivered in person using tactics that wouldn't flout governmental orders.

"We believe that Jesus is really there and is bringing graces in the world that will help stop this coronavirus," said Smith, who recently retired from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. She suggested outdoor and drive-up meetings with priests as options for receiving sacraments.

Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College, pointed to an assumption among some that "we control God, and we don't - as if somehow, if we pray in a large number in a church or a mosque or synagogue, somehow this virus will come to an end."

Seeking solace in spirituality or relying on religious rituals for relief and protection, some believers across faiths have continued to shrug off coronavirus risks as they worship.

Last month in Iraq, some defied a curfew to observe the anniversary of the death of revered Shiite Imam Moussa al-Kadhim. One of the visitors who have trekked to the imam's gold-domed shrine complex, Ayoub al-Moussawi, said he has over the years braved threats to perform religious visits.

"We have always been subjected to all sort of things from bombs to explosive devices, but protection comes from God," said al-Moussawi. "This time it's the corona pandemic."

He said he took precautions such as donning a mask in crowded areas and sanitizing his hands. There were fewer pilgrims this year and many marked the occasion remotely from their rooftops, he said.

Al-Moussawi is a supporter of the Iraqi Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who blamed the spread of the coronavirus in part on the legalization of same-sex marriage in a tweet to his 1 million followers.

Some Iraqis have criticized al-Sadr, a Shiite Muslim, arguing he hasn't discouraged believers from visiting holy shrines.

Instead, al-Sadr urged visitors of one Shiite shrine to "hurry up in completing the visit and to follow order and medical and heath rules so as not to be a source of contagion for others." Al-Sadr rejected claims that he had undercut efforts to fight the virus.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584395919012.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) - Tanzania's president claimed the coronavirus "cannot sit in the body of Christ." Israel's health minister dismissed a potential curfew by saying that "the Messiah will come and save us." A global Muslim missionary movement held mass gatherings - and took blame for spreading the disease.While most leaders of major religions have supported governments' efforts to fight the pandemic by limiting gatherings, a minority of the faithful - in both religious and secular institutions - have not.Some have insisted that in-person worship should continue because of the relief it can provide. Others have suggested that faith is an authority higher than science, and belief can turn back contagion.The struggle to adapt religious behaviors to a pandemic that doesn't distinguish between denominations or national boundaries was especially urgent in its earliest weeks, before many countries fully locked down. But as more officials trace virus hot spots back to faith gatherings, calls have grown louder for the devout to protect each other's physical well-being first."One of the things that most religious faiths stress in the first instance is to care for the most vulnerable in a community, to save others' lives as a primary focus," said L. Gregory Jones, dean of Duke University's divinity school.But for some people of faith -- particularly those whose churches, synagogues and mosques are important community centers - that focus appears to conflict with the very fabric of their lives.In majority-Christian Tanzania, President John Magufuli told a church congregation last month that he was "not afraid of coming here" because the virus could be combatted with belief.Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman had insisted on exempting synagogues and other religious institutions from limits on public gatherings, according to Israeli media reports, only to come down with the virus himself this month -- apparently after failing to heed the social distancing precautions he had publicly preached.Litzman is now widely seen as a symbol of lax attitudes that led to a disproportionate number of cases in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community that he belongs to, which makes up just over 10% of the population. Though he dismissed a possible Passover curfew last month, Israel ultimately imposed a national lockdown on the holiday's first night.In India, the Muslim missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat came under fire with the online circulation of an audio clip said to be of its chief Maulana Saad, urging the faithful to continue to congregate at mosques."They say that the infection will spread if you gather at a mosque, this is false," Saad told worshippers. "If you die by coming to the mosque, then this is the best place to die."A spokesman for Jamaat, Mujeeb ur Rehman, said the recording was taken out of context."There was no malice in it," he said. "During the same sermon, he also went on to ask his followers to follow the government guidelines to battle the spread of the virus."Indeed, many Muslim clerics and religious authorities across the world have worked to promote mosque closures or other restrictions.But the Pakistani government -- accused of moving too slowly to curb gatherings -- refused to order mosques closed. Instead, it limited congregants to five or less. Still, some hardliners remained defiant despite advice to stay at home from the country's Islamic Ideology Council. Maulana Abdul Aziz, a cleric at the Red Mosque in Islamabad, urged the faithful to challenge restrictions, arguing it was a sin to keep mosques empty.In India, authorities said they linked hundreds of infections to Tablighi Jamaat's activities and accused the movement's leadership of negligence. The news inflamed religious tensions and sparked hateful comments against the nation's Muslim minority.Rehman acknowledged that "Jamaat was careless on its part, but the government is guilty too. First they failed to stem the outbreak and now they are turning the pandemic into a communal issue."Most U.S. religious services have paused or shifted online as the federal government discourages group gatherings to help contain the virus. But a few faith leaders and congregants in America, where religious freedom was already a political minefield, have rebelled against those limits and claimed an incursion on their rights.Others have taken less aggressive steps to assert the power of communal worship, pointing to what they see as the ability of belief to heal the pandemic's spiritual pain. Retired Catholic moral theologian Janet Smith is among those in her faith urging bishops to support the restoration of the holy sacraments, delivered in person using tactics that wouldn't flout governmental orders."We believe that Jesus is really there and is bringing graces in the world that will help stop this coronavirus," said Smith, who recently retired from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. She suggested outdoor and drive-up meetings with priests as options for receiving sacraments.Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College, pointed to an assumption among some that "we control God, and we don't - as if somehow, if we pray in a large number in a church or a mosque or synagogue, somehow this virus will come to an end."Seeking solace in spirituality or relying on religious rituals for relief and protection, some believers across faiths have continued to shrug off coronavirus risks as they worship.Last month in Iraq, some defied a curfew to observe the anniversary of the death of revered Shiite Imam Moussa al-Kadhim. One of the visitors who have trekked to the imam's gold-domed shrine complex, Ayoub al-Moussawi, said he has over the years braved threats to perform religious visits."We have always been subjected to all sort of things from bombs to explosive devices, but protection comes from God," said al-Moussawi. "This time it's the corona pandemic."He said he took precautions such as donning a mask in crowded areas and sanitizing his hands. There were fewer pilgrims this year and many marked the occasion remotely from their rooftops, he said.Al-Moussawi is a supporter of the Iraqi Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who blamed the spread of the coronavirus in part on the legalization of same-sex marriage in a tweet to his 1 million followers.Some Iraqis have criticized al-Sadr, a Shiite Muslim, arguing he hasn't discouraged believers from visiting holy shrines.Instead, al-Sadr urged visitors of one Shiite shrine to "hurry up in completing the visit and to follow order and medical and heath rules so as not to be a source of contagion for others." Al-Sadr rejected claims that he had undercut efforts to fight the virus.___

A virus that hits all faiths tests religion's tie to science

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.

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.”

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.”

Farmers in rural Kansas still working despite virus outbreak

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly briefly discussed the lawsuit during her Friday press conference

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge on Saturday blocked Kansas from limiting attendance at in-person religious worship services or activities to 10 people or fewer to check the spread of the coronavirus, signaling that he believes that it’s likely that the policy violates religious freedom and free speech rights.

<a href="https://apdocs.inside.ap.org/documents/150877-churches-order-04-18-20.html" target="_blank">The ruling</a>&nbsp;from U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita prevents the enforcement of&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20-18-Executed.pdf" target="_blank">an order</a>&nbsp;issued by Gov. Laura Kelly if pastors and congregations observe social distancing. The judge’s decision will remain in effect until May 2; he has a hearing scheduled Thursday in a lawsuit filed against Kelly by two churches and their pastors.

Kelly continued to defend her order in a statement: “This is not about religion. This is about a public health crisis.”

Broomes’ action comes amid strong criticism of the Democratic governor’s order from the Republican-controlled Legislature and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">increasing pressure</a>&nbsp;from GOP lawmakers to lift at least part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;for all 2.9 million Kansas residents that took effect March 30 and is set to continue until May 3.

“Churches and religious activities appear to have been singled out among essential functions for stricter treatment,” Broomes wrote in his order.

COVID-19-related deaths rose Saturday by two, to 86, and confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 85 to 1,790. Kelly’s office said six deaths and 80 cases are tied to religious gatherings.

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 and death.

The lawsuit over church gatherings was filed Thursday by First Baptist Church in Dodge City and Pastor Stephen Ormond and Calvary Baptist Church in Junction City and Pastor Aaron Harris. The lawsuit said both churches held indoor Easter services with 20 or more members of the congregation present.

Broomes’ order does not let the churches have services without any restrictions. Instead, he ordered them to abide by recommendations for social distancing that people stay 6 feet apart and to continue following other practices the lawsuit said they had imposed, such as not using collection plates.

“Public safety is important, but so is following the Constitution,” said Tyson Langhofer, senior counsel for the Christian-founded and conservative Alliance for Defending Freedom, which was involved in the case. “We can prioritize the health of safety of ourselves and our neighbors without harming churches and people of faith.”

Kelly’s order limited in-person religious services or activities to 10 congregation members but didn’t limit the number of pastors, choir members and others who could put on the service, so long as they practiced social distancing. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, warned that it would be unconstitutional to cite or fine churches and pastors for violating Kelly’s order.

“Ultimately, the people were forced to stop her,” Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement.

Many Kansas churches have moved services online, but the pastors and churches suing Kelly said they believe God calls them to engage in “corporate” prayer.

They argued Kelly could have imposed less restrictive measures on churches to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. They also said that Kelly’s stay-at-home order had exceptions for numerous “essential” businesses, so her policies unfairly targeted and showed “hostility” toward churches.

Broomes noted the exceptions for some businesses, calling the different treatment of churches “arbitrary.”

But Kelly called the judge’s decision “preliminary” and some critics said it could be applied to only the two churches that sued.

“There is still a long way to go in this case,” Kelly said. “And we will continue to be proactive and err on the side of caution where Kansans’ health and safety is at stake,” Kelly said.

Top Republican legislative leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/79490ae7c241fab1301bd66e87afd224">moved last week</a>&nbsp;to revoke Kelly’s order on church gatherings themselves, only to see the Democratic governor thwart their efforts by contesting their action before the Kansas Supreme Court. The state’s highest court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/79490ae7c241fab1301bd66e87afd224">let her order stand</a>&nbsp;on technical grounds, without deciding whether it violated freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. or Kansas constitutions.

Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area Republican, texted that people need to stay home, but, “the state cannot and should not set up a double standard.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked Kansas from limiting attendance at in-person religious worship services or activities to 10 or fewer congregation members to check the spread of the coronavirus.

<a href="https://ecf.ksd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2020cv1102-14">Click here</a>&nbsp;to read more from the court on this case

The decision Saturday from U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita signaled that he believes there’s a good chance the policy violates religious freedom and free speech rights. Broomes' ruling prevents the enforcement of an order issued by Gov.

Laura Kelly on April 7. His decision will remain in effect until May 2. He has a hearing set for Wednesday in a lawsuit filed against Kelly&nbsp; by&nbsp;Calvary Baptist Church in Junction City and Pastor Aaron Harris and&nbsp; First Baptist Church in Dodge City and Pastor Stephen Ormond.

Governor Kelly responded to the decision, “We are in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic. We all want to resume our normal lives as soon as possible, but for now the data and science tell us there’s still a serious threat from COVID-19 – and when we gather in large groups, the virus spreads.

“My executive order is about saving Kansans’ lives and slowing the spread of the virus to keep our neighbors, our families and our loved ones safe,” Kelly said. “During public health emergencies, we must take proactive measures to save lives."

Kansas has had six deaths and more than 80 cases of COVID-19 that have originated from religious gatherings. The court’s temporary order noted that, given the gravity of the issues involved, the order only applies to the two plaintiffs to the lawsuit. All other religious gatherings must continue to adhere to the requirements of Executive Order 20-25 and limit gatherings to 10 or fewer attendees.

Kansas is not alone in restricting gatherings, including religious gatherings. A majority of states and hundreds of local governments across the country have imposed similar temporary restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

“There have been at least eight other legal challenges like this one, and so far none of them have ruled against a mass gathering restriction like ours. Courts across the country have recognized that during this pandemic emergency the law allows governments to prioritize proper public health and safety,” Kelly said.

“This is not about religion. This is about a public health crisis,” Kelly said. “This ruling was just a preliminary step. There is still a long way to go in this case, and we will continue to be proactive and err on the side of caution where Kansans’ health and safety is at stake.”

Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said nothing has changed related to the need to practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings.

“As Kansans, we have a responsibility to keep our neighbors, friends and family safe. Please do not gather in groups larger than 10 people,” Norman said. “As we see ramped-up testing across the state, we still must exercise extreme caution in our daily activities. It bears repeating: stay safe, stay home, save lives.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587258656482.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas Governor Laura Kelly briefly discussed the lawsuit during her Friday press conferenceTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge on Saturday blocked Kansas from limiting attendance at in-person religious worship services or activities to 10 people or fewer to check the spread of the coronavirus, signaling that he believes that it’s likely that the policy violates religious freedom and free speech rights.<a href="https://apdocs.inside.ap.org/documents/150877-churches-order-04-18-20.html" target="_blank">The ruling</a>&nbsp;from U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita prevents the enforcement of&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20-18-Executed.pdf" target="_blank">an order</a>&nbsp;issued by Gov. Laura Kelly if pastors and congregations observe social distancing. The judge’s decision will remain in effect until May 2; he has a hearing scheduled Thursday in a lawsuit filed against Kelly by two churches and their pastors.Kelly continued to defend her order in a statement: “This is not about religion. This is about a public health crisis.”Broomes’ action comes amid strong criticism of the Democratic governor’s order from the Republican-controlled Legislature and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">increasing pressure</a>&nbsp;from GOP lawmakers to lift at least part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">stay-at-home order</a>&nbsp;for all 2.9 million Kansas residents that took effect March 30 and is set to continue until May 3.“Churches and religious activities appear to have been singled out among essential functions for stricter treatment,” Broomes wrote in his order.COVID-19-related deaths rose Saturday by two, to 86, and confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 85 to 1,790. Kelly’s office said six deaths and 80 cases are tied to religious gatherings.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 and death.The lawsuit over church gatherings was filed Thursday by First Baptist Church in Dodge City and Pastor Stephen Ormond and Calvary Baptist Church in Junction City and Pastor Aaron Harris. The lawsuit said both churches held indoor Easter services with 20 or more members of the congregation present.Broomes’ order does not let the churches have services without any restrictions. Instead, he ordered them to abide by recommendations for social distancing that people stay 6 feet apart and to continue following other practices the lawsuit said they had imposed, such as not using collection plates.“Public safety is important, but so is following the Constitution,” said Tyson Langhofer, senior counsel for the Christian-founded and conservative Alliance for Defending Freedom, which was involved in the case. “We can prioritize the health of safety of ourselves and our neighbors without harming churches and people of faith.”Kelly’s order limited in-person religious services or activities to 10 congregation members but didn’t limit the number of pastors, choir members and others who could put on the service, so long as they practiced social distancing. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, warned that it would be unconstitutional to cite or fine churches and pastors for violating Kelly’s order.“Ultimately, the people were forced to stop her,” Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement.Many Kansas churches have moved services online, but the pastors and churches suing Kelly said they believe God calls them to engage in “corporate” prayer.They argued Kelly could have imposed less restrictive measures on churches to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. They also said that Kelly’s stay-at-home order had exceptions for numerous “essential” businesses, so her policies unfairly targeted and showed “hostility” toward churches.Broomes noted the exceptions for some businesses, calling the different treatment of churches “arbitrary.”But Kelly called the judge’s decision “preliminary” and some critics said it could be applied to only the two churches that sued.“There is still a long way to go in this case,” Kelly said. “And we will continue to be proactive and err on the side of caution where Kansans’ health and safety is at stake,” Kelly said.Top Republican legislative leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/79490ae7c241fab1301bd66e87afd224">moved last week</a>&nbsp;to revoke Kelly’s order on church gatherings themselves, only to see the Democratic governor thwart their efforts by contesting their action before the Kansas Supreme Court. The state’s highest court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/79490ae7c241fab1301bd66e87afd224">let her order stand</a>&nbsp;on technical grounds, without deciding whether it violated freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. or Kansas constitutions.Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a Kansas City-area Republican, texted that people need to stay home, but, “the state cannot and should not set up a double standard.”-------TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked Kansas from limiting attendance at in-person religious worship services or activities to 10 or fewer congregation members to check the spread of the coronavirus.<a href="https://ecf.ksd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2020cv1102-14">Click here</a>&nbsp;to read more from the court on this caseThe decision Saturday from U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita signaled that he believes there’s a good chance the policy violates religious freedom and free speech rights. Broomes' ruling prevents the enforcement of an order issued by Gov.Laura Kelly on April 7. His decision will remain in effect until May 2. He has a hearing set for Wednesday in a lawsuit filed against Kelly&nbsp; by&nbsp;Calvary Baptist Church in Junction City and Pastor Aaron Harris and&nbsp; First Baptist Church in Dodge City and Pastor Stephen Ormond.Governor Kelly responded to the decision, “We are in the middle of an unprecedented pandemic. We all want to resume our normal lives as soon as possible, but for now the data and science tell us there’s still a serious threat from COVID-19 – and when we gather in large groups, the virus spreads.“My executive order is about saving Kansans’ lives and slowing the spread of the virus to keep our neighbors, our families and our loved ones safe,” Kelly said. “During public health emergencies, we must take proactive measures to save lives."Kansas has had six deaths and more than 80 cases of COVID-19 that have originated from religious gatherings. The court’s temporary order noted that, given the gravity of the issues involved, the order only applies to the two plaintiffs to the lawsuit. All other religious gatherings must continue to adhere to the requirements of Executive Order 20-25 and limit gatherings to 10 or fewer attendees.Kansas is not alone in restricting gatherings, including religious gatherings. A majority of states and hundreds of local governments across the country have imposed similar temporary restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;“There have been at least eight other legal challenges like this one, and so far none of them have ruled against a mass gathering restriction like ours. Courts across the country have recognized that during this pandemic emergency the law allows governments to prioritize proper public health and safety,” Kelly said.“This is not about religion. This is about a public health crisis,” Kelly said. “This ruling was just a preliminary step. There is still a long way to go in this case, and we will continue to be proactive and err on the side of caution where Kansans’ health and safety is at stake.”Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said nothing has changed related to the need to practice social distancing and avoid mass gatherings.“As Kansans, we have a responsibility to keep our neighbors, friends and family safe. Please do not gather in groups larger than 10 people,” Norman said. “As we see ramped-up testing across the state, we still must exercise extreme caution in our daily activities. It bears repeating: stay safe, stay home, save lives.”

Update: Federal judge blocks Kan. limits on religious gatherings

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to start using 3D printers to manufacture its own swabs to test for the novel coronavirus as officials look to improve the state’s near-bottom national rank in testing before lifting a stay-at-home order.

Gov. Laura Kelly and her top public health administrator, Dr. Lee Norman, have complained for weeks that Kansas isn’t a priority for testing supplies and personal protective equipment from the federal government or even private vendors, making it difficult to get them. 

The state’s struggles have continued with the Democratic governor under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">increasing pressure</a>&nbsp;from the Republican-controlled Legislature to lift restrictions hindering economic activity, with her stay-at-home order set to remain in place until May 3.

But Kelly said Friday that testing people both with and without symptoms is key. Norman said the state might not be able to loosen restrictions until later in May, a couple of weeks after the Kansas outbreak’s expected late-April peak. Kelly’s stay-at-home order took effect March 30 and is set to stay in place until May 3.

“Our ability to test and contact trace must be much more robust before we can safely proceed to open,” Kelly said during her daily coronavirus news conference at the Statehouse.

Kansas as of Friday had reported testing about 17,000 of its 2.9 million residents for coronavirus, or 5.8 for every 1,000 residents, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://covidtracking.com/" target="_blank">The COVID Tracking Project,</a>&nbsp;a website managed by journalists and analysts, with The Associated Press among the contributors to the data. That rate is the second-lowest among states, just behind Virginia’s 5.75 per 1,000 residents and a little more than half of the national figure of 10.82 per 1,000 citizens.

Testing generally has been limited to people who are showing coronavirus symptoms, though it has expanded in a handful of the state’s 105 counties, including the biggest hotspots in the Kansas City area.

Dr. Beth Oller, a family-practice physician in Stockton, said it’s “ridiculous” that in her area of northwest Kansas, testing still isn’t recommended for people who know they’ve had close contact with an infected person but aren’t yet showing symptoms.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s the way it is right now,” she said. “There are still not enough tests.”

Norman said earlier this week that the state had spent “a lot of money” on testing supplies, though the health department didn’t specify the amount, and was awaiting on some shipments of supplies.

He also said the state expects to use 3D printers next week to start manufacturing 1,000 testing swabs a week. The state would like to do another 15,500 tests on people not showing symptoms to determine how prevalent coronavirus infections are in the general population, he said.

The state Department of Health and Environment, led by Norman, reported Friday that Kansas had 1,705 confirmed coronavirus cases in 66 of its 105 counties. That was an increase of 117, or 7.4% from Thursday, with cases in three additional counties.

COVID-19-related deaths also rose 5%, up four to 84, according to the department.

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

Despite its low testing rate, Kansas’ rate of COVID-19 deaths is in the middle of the pack among states, 2.89 for every 100,000 residents as of Friday, ranking 26th, and against a national figure of 9.89.

“Always, we’re working on, what’s the pinch point, in terms of a our supply chain? Norman said Friday. “I really think that the floodgates will open up and be allowing much more broad testing within the next week.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, eager to get the economy moving again,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1251186839983132673" target="_blank">tweeted</a>&nbsp;Friday, “The States have to step up their TESTING!”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587156578878.png" alt="Drive up testing in Johnson County -photo Johnson Co. Health Department" />
 <figcaption>Drive up testing in Johnson County -photo Johnson Co. Health Department</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to start using 3D printers to manufacture its own swabs to test for the novel coronavirus as officials look to improve the state’s near-bottom national rank in testing before lifting a stay-at-home order.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587176759937.png" alt="KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman listens to a question during Friday's news conference" />
 <figcaption>KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman listens to a question during Friday's news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>Gov. Laura Kelly and her top public health administrator, Dr. Lee Norman, have complained for weeks that Kansas isn’t a priority for testing supplies and personal protective equipment from the federal government or even private vendors, making it difficult to get them. The state’s struggles have continued with the Democratic governor under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">increasing pressure</a>&nbsp;from the Republican-controlled Legislature to lift restrictions hindering economic activity, with her stay-at-home order set to remain in place until May 3.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587150220230.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly answers questions during Friday's news conference" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly answers questions during Friday's news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>But Kelly said Friday that testing people both with and without symptoms is key. Norman said the state might not be able to loosen restrictions until later in May, a couple of weeks after the Kansas outbreak’s expected late-April peak. Kelly’s stay-at-home order took effect March 30 and is set to stay in place until May 3.“Our ability to test and contact trace must be much more robust before we can safely proceed to open,” Kelly said during her daily coronavirus news conference at the Statehouse.Kansas as of Friday had reported testing about 17,000 of its 2.9 million residents for coronavirus, or 5.8 for every 1,000 residents, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://covidtracking.com/" target="_blank">The COVID Tracking Project,</a>&nbsp;a website managed by journalists and analysts, with The Associated Press among the contributors to the data. That rate is the second-lowest among states, just behind Virginia’s 5.75 per 1,000 residents and a little more than half of the national figure of 10.82 per 1,000 citizens.Testing generally has been limited to people who are showing coronavirus symptoms, though it has expanded in a handful of the state’s 105 counties, including the biggest hotspots in the Kansas City area.Dr. Beth Oller, a family-practice physician in Stockton, said it’s “ridiculous” that in her area of northwest Kansas, testing still isn’t recommended for people who know they’ve had close contact with an infected person but aren’t yet showing symptoms.“It’s frustrating, but it’s the way it is right now,” she said. “There are still not enough tests.”Norman said earlier this week that the state had spent “a lot of money” on testing supplies, though the health department didn’t specify the amount, and was awaiting on some shipments of supplies.He also said the state expects to use 3D printers next week to start manufacturing 1,000 testing swabs a week. The state would like to do another 15,500 tests on people not showing symptoms to determine how prevalent coronavirus infections are in the general population, he said.The state Department of Health and Environment, led by Norman, reported Friday that Kansas had 1,705 confirmed coronavirus cases in 66 of its 105 counties. That was an increase of 117, or 7.4% from Thursday, with cases in three additional counties.COVID-19-related deaths also rose 5%, up four to 84, according to the department.For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.Despite its low testing rate, Kansas’ rate of COVID-19 deaths is in the middle of the pack among states, 2.89 for every 100,000 residents as of Friday, ranking 26th, and against a national figure of 9.89.“Always, we’re working on, what’s the pinch point, in terms of a our supply chain? Norman said Friday. “I really think that the floodgates will open up and be allowing much more broad testing within the next week.”Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, eager to get the economy moving again,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1251186839983132673" target="_blank">tweeted</a>&nbsp;Friday, “The States have to step up their TESTING!”“Well, we know that,” Kelly said when asked about the tweet. “We’ve known that for a long time.”___