Category: COVID-19

Here’s how to apply for second round of CARES Act funding in Kansas

A second round of CARES Act funding in Kansas will soon accept applications.

Businesses and organizations will be able to apply for Kansas SPARK economic development and broadband grants starting at noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, at kansascommerce.gov/covidrelief, according to a news release from Gov. Laura Kelly.

More than $130 million in grants will be available to help those who were affected by the pandemic and for companies to expand broadband across the state, according to the news release. These federal funds were given to the state to address needs from COVID-19.

Information on SPARK economic development and connectivity grant programs can now be found online at kansascommerce.gov/covidrelief. Grant applications will be accepted beginning at noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020.

“These funds will both provide necessary immediate relief to businesses and contribute to a more strategic, competitive Kansas economy in the future,” Gov. Kelly said. “I want to thank the SPARK Taskforce for recommending these strategic investments and the State Finance Council for approving the use of these funds.”

In addition to providing financial relief, grants will be available to businesses whose products and services will be needed in greater volume to help combat the virus and its effects. Funding is also being made available to expand broadband access both through infrastructure improvements and by partnerships with internet service providers to serve low-income households. These grants are funded through the Coronavirus Relief Fund of the federal CARES Act.

This pandemic has affected each sector differently, with industries having very different needs from one another. With this in mind, applications for grants are being made available in these categories:

• Small Business Working Capital Grants
Kansas businesses with fewer than 500 employees are eligible to apply for Small Business Working Capital grants. Funds can be used to pay working capital expenses such as payroll, rent, mortgage insurance, utilities, inventory, and more. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis until funds are depleted.

• Securing Local Food Systems Grants
The Securing Local Food Systems grant program was created to support Kansas meat processing facilities, food processors, grocers, and food banks to address food for human consumption supply chain disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

• PPE Procurement Grants
The PPE Procurement grant program will award businesses funds for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE), implementation of workplace redesigns, additional signage, new technology solutions for distance working, and other items to comply with COVID-19 public health guidelines on safely returning employees to work.

• PPE Manufacturing Grants
PPE Manufacturing grants will provide funding to manufacturers to reimburse certain costs to manufacture critically needed PPE. The grant funding will assist entities with creating new businesses while contributing to the fight against the current COVID-19 public health emergency.

• COVID-19 Bioscience Product Development Acceleration Grants
Kansas has a strong pipeline of bioscience-related companies developing SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic, therapeutic, and medical countermeasures. This grant program will accelerate commercialization and go-to-market strategies, allowing these Kansas companies to quickly deploy novel technology by optimizing value and reducing risk through informed decision making.

• Connectivity Emergency Response Grants
The Connectivity Emergency Response Grant (CERG) was created to address the increased need for connectivity in Kansas in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposed projects should improve connectivity to unserved and underserved areas of Kansas to address the needs of telework, telehealth, distance learning, and other remote business services.

• Broadband Partnership Adoption Grants
The Broadband Partnership Adoption Grant will provide support for low-income households by partnering with ISPs to leverage their existing adoption infrastructure and assure connectivity to as many Kansans as possible.

• IT, Cybersecurity and IT Project Management Certification Training Grants
To mitigate the job losses in Kansas as a result of COVID-19, the Kansas Department of Commerce is seeking a rapid response training program that will provide training, certificate testing, and job placement assistance in the areas of IT, cybersecurity, and IT project management.

• Kansas Tech College Advanced Manufacturing Grants
This program will support the needs of the advanced manufacturing industry in Kansas. The program will focus on reskilling and upskilling individuals affected by COVID-19 to meet economic sector needs in high-demand, high-wage occupations.

Details on each category, including award amounts, proposal requirements, eligibility and more can be found at kansascommerce.gov/covidrelief.

• Information from governor’s office

Piper parents could be considering ways to allow students to play sports

Wyandotte County reported 5,089 total cumulative cases on Thursday afternoon, an increase of 58 cases since Wednesday, according to the UG’s COVID-19 webpage. There were 102 deaths, no increase from Wednesday. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)

As a new fall school sports ban was announced today, affecting football, soccer and volleyball, and marching band events, some Piper residents were upset.

“We know the news released today by the Wyandotte County Health Department regarding fall sports is upsetting,” Piper Superintendent Jessica Dean wrote on the school district’s social media page.

Dr. Dain wrote that they received the final version of the new order at the same time it was released to the public today, and they were reviewing the order with legal counsel. They will develop a plan for fall sports according to the guidance they receive, she wrote.

Some of the discussion at the 5 p.m. Unified Government Commission meeting centered on the Piper school district and sports. The new rule on fall sports applied to public and private K-12, college and amateur sports clubs in Wyandotte County. It does not apply to professional sports. It goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 14.

The schools in Wyandotte County are also under an order not to open until after Sept. 8. The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools have previously decided to suspend all fall KSHSAA sports.

Under today’s health order, activities and sports that are allowed include debate, cross-country, golf, tennis, spirit team, if they adhere to KSHSAA rules and wear masks, and follow other guidelines in the order.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Commissioner Mike Kane said at the 5 p.m. UG meeting.

He said a Piper soccer club, with a couple hundred kids, may just hold its games in another county – they already play a lot of games there anyway, he added.

He asked if the Health Department could do an evaluation every two weeks or so, to see if they can start letting the kids play sports.

“I feel bad for the seniors and the opportunity they could or could not have,” Commissioner Kane said. “At the same time I want all of Wyandotte County to be as safe as possible.”

Currently, he is getting a lot of pressure from parents, he said. “Some people absolutely don’t like it,” he said. Piper has built up its sports programs during the past decade, and last year, it was the state boys’ basketball champion in Class 4A.

Parents suggested in comments on the school district’s Facebook page that possibly the high school athletes could play games in another county.

Also asking about the level of communication the Health Department had with school districts and superintendents was Commissioner Melissa Bynum.

She said the order made her “sad” for all the senior athletes in particular. “It’s just so, so much to ask of students,” she said.

Dr. Allen Greiner, chief health officer for Wyandotte County, said the Health Department had several months of meetings with the educational institutions in the county, including different levels. They put together detailed plans for school reopening. They didn’t get into the specifics of addressing sports with the school reopening order, but everyone knew a decision was coming on sports. There was a meeting last Wednesday with school district superintendents and representatives, he added.

He said they were “kicking this around” almost 10 days and told the superintendents in a phone call.

“We agree with you, this is very sad, a horrible thing to have to do in regard to our education programs. The way programs work, social interaction is a huge part of learning and growing,” he said.

Dr. Greiner said he was concerned that students could pass the virus back and forth by yelling and having direct physical contact. The coronavirus can be spread as people talk, and keeping a 6-feet distance is important.

“We are seeing relatively young people die from this virus,” Dr. Greiner said.

He said if they get to a very low level of transmission, they could change a lot of things.

Mayor David Alvey said that when professional teams such as Sporting KC and the Royals restart, they bring a lot of money to create bubbles, control players’ behavior outside the team and do a large amount of testing. Some college conferences are questioning whether they can accomplish that and are canceling their seasons, he said.

“Schools simply don’t have those resources,” Mayor Alvey said. “More and more research is showing children can be infected, can transmit diseases at a high level, and it’s starting to show up more and more.”

He added he has received calls from teachers who are concerned about returning to class, that even with health measures, they may not be able to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Having worked at the high school level for 31 years as an administrator and coach, Mayor Alvey said he understood and appreciated deeply how important sports are to students, and what it means to the parents and community. It is difficult to have to focus on the virus, but the sooner they stomp it down, the better, he said.

Dr. Greiner said decisions are made with a variety of data, including the 7-day rolling average of cases, the hospitalization count, the number of intensive care unit beds, the number of ventilators used, the death rate, plus looking at clusters to see how many there are and how big they are.

If they see outbreaks of cases in schools or in sports, they will be concerned. If there are case transmissions from youth or teams to grandparents who are then hospitalized, that’s also a bad sign, he said.

He said he would like to work with members of the community to get the case numbers down, to help enforce the mask order and to convince people who are ill to stay home.

In answer to a question from Commissioner Brian McKiernan, Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy health officer, said that the health order does not prevent anyone from playing games outside the county, only in Wyandotte County.

She said she hopes people who live here would follow the health order and not play elsewhere. People who come into the county would need to adhere to the local order, and it would be the responsibility of the school to get the message to the opposing team, she said.

In answer to a question from Commissioner Christian Ramirez, Dr. Corriveau said it is their understanding that the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools can issue more stringent rules than the health order.

Dr. Charles Foust, KCK superintendent, told the KCK school board at its most recent meeting that the school board had the final authority over whatever health measures it wanted to implement, and over sports.

The state attorney general on Aug. 11 issued an opinion saying that local school boards had the authority to do what they wanted concerning the health orders at the schools. The UG attorney, however, did not agree.

Ken Moore, UG attorney, at tonight’s meeting said they have looked over the statutes governing school boards and local health officers. School board statutes make them subject to all other laws, he said, while health officers’ powers come from a broadly-based statute.

“Our opinion is that (health officers’ orders) would control, but the school board could enact more stringent orders,” he said.

Wyandotte County reported 5,089 total cumulative cases on Thursday afternoon, an increase of 58 cases since Wednesday, according to the UG’s COVID-19 webpage. There were 102 deaths, no increase from Wednesday.

Although Johnson County has a higher number of positive cumulative cases, over 6,000 at this point, Wyandotte County has the highest rate per 100,000 positive cases in the metropolitan area, according to Juliann Van Liew, Health Department director. The rate is 3,061 per 100,000 here as compared to 1,026 in Johnson County and 993 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Wyandotte County rate is three times as high as surrounding jurisdictions.

The 7-day rolling average of cases is a very positive trend, having declined since July 16, and is now around 44 cases a day, she said.

The 7-day rolling average of deaths also remains very low, she said. The last five deaths have all been among 50-year-olds, she said.

The number of tests that come back positive out of the entire number of tests has hovered around 20 percent for about a month, she said.

“We know the disease is still pretty prevalent in our community,” she said.

They continue to see large numbers of COVID-19 cases in the American Asian population, Dr. Greiner said. There has been a reduction in the rates among African Americans, he said.

Overall, there is not much change in the ethnicity case rates from previous reports, he added.

Free testing is offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Unified Government Health Department parking lot at 6th and Ann, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information, call 311.

See earlier story, “With second COVID-19 case, Piper suspends school sports until July 29,” at https://wyandotteonline.com/with-second-covid-19-case-piper-suspends-school-sports-until-july-29/.

Today’s Health Department sports order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.

For more information on who may be tested and what to bring, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.


The Wyandotte County school start order is online at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.


Wyandotte County is under a mandatory mask order and is in Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan. For more information, residents may visit the UG COVID-19 website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information or call 311 for more information.


The CDC’s COVID-19 web page is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

Health order prohibits some fall sports, activities at schools in Wyandotte County

Some fall sports and activities in Wyandotte County were prohibited today by a local health officer order.

The order, which goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, will prohibit football, volleyball, soccer and marching band events. The order was from Dr. Allen Greiner, Wyandotte County health officer.

The order applies to public and private schools, kindergarten through 12th grade, along with higher education, non-professional sports clubs and organizations operating in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools already have suspended fall KSHSAA sports in a school board vote on Aug. 11, and it applies to football, volleyball, cross country, girls tennis, boys soccer, marching band and spirit squad.

The Turner Public Schools will comply with the order, while continuing to offer practices and conditioning, as allowed by the health order, according to a spokesman. The health order says practice and conditioning may continue in the sports if the participants can maintain 6 feet of social distancing.

Kansas City Kansas Community College already had announced on July 22 that all fall sports would be postponed this fall and winter, through a vote of the National Junior College Athletic Association membership.

A lot of schools are now discussing fall sports and are in the process of determining what this will mean for the school year, the students and families, said Janell Friesen, a Health Department spokesman.

Besides the KCK and Turner districts, the Health Department has had support from other educational leaders in the area who have worked with the Wyandotte County health officers on the issue, she said.

“I think everyone is disappointed to see a change like this,” she said. “It’s going to be a difficult change going into an already challenging school year for people. This is just a way to help prevent further spread of COVID-19, and keep the schools, students and families as safe as we can.”

“Turner USD 202 has reviewed the order related to student sports and activities. Creating an environment where students are safe and protected is our top priority. While disappointed about the prospect of not competing in contact sports and marching band, we respect the leadership of the Wyandotte County Public Health Department and their data-based approach to community safety,” said Dr. Jason Dandoy, superintendent, in a news release. “Turner USD 202 will continue to offer practices and conditioning sessions for students that comply with the order. We look forward to returning to competition as soon as safely possible.”

“The decision to suspend sports is not easy because we all understand the emotional impact this decision may have on so many of our students, their families and the range of professionals who work with them,” said Randy Lopez, president of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools Board of Education. “Because the health and welfare of our staff, students and their families are paramount, erring on the side of caution is essential. The school district is committed to doing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our city, county and particularly within our district. KCKPS will continue to work collaboratively with the Wyandotte County Public Health Department as we review our options in the fall based on the status of the pandemic. We believe this conscious effort to help reduce the spread of the virus is an important safeguard to ensure a safe return to sports.”

At the Piper school district, administrators were having a meeting after receiving the health order today. There was no comment at that time.

The Bonner Springs School District, through Kaela Williams, communications coordinator, released this statement: “USD 204 is currently reviewing the Health Order issued today by Wyandotte County pertaining to athletics and activities. We remain focused on protecting the health and safety of all students and staff, and this carries over into our athletic programs. We appreciate the leadership and guidance Wyandotte County has provided through this process. The district recognizes the impact these programs have on our school community and we will continue evaluating how activities can safely be carried out this fall.”

“Ensuring the continued safety of our entire community, including students and school staff, has been and remains our top priority,” Mayor David Alvey said. “Today’s decision by public health officials, in coordination with local school districts, is intended to provide consistent guidance at all levels to reduce potential exposure and prevent another spike in the number of positives cases in our community. From the beginning, Wyandotte County has followed the advice of its medical experts, and it will continue to do so. As a school administrator for nearly 30 years, I understand the importance of sports and extracurricular activities in the formation and development of young persons. I am disappointed and saddened that our students continue to be impacted by this prolonged pandemic, both in the classroom as well as on the field and the court, and look forward to a return to normalcy not only for our children but the entire community.”

According to a Unified Government Health Department news release, Wyandotte County medical officers have relied on COVID-19 data to guide the county’s response to the pandemic. After a peak in new cases in July, the 7-day rolling averages of new positive cases have begun to decline.

This could be due in part to measures such as requiring masks or face coverings, according to the Health Department spokesman. However, COVID-19 is still very much a threat to the community, the spokesman stated.

Cases numbers are still high compared to earlier this spring, the positivity rate, which is the percentage of people tested who test positive for COVID-19, has not declined, and Wyandotte County still has the highest rate of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area, according to the Health Department.

The mask and face coverings order was issued in direct response to a spike in new positive COVID-19 cases following the relaxation of stay-at-home orders, according to the Health Department.

The mask order went into effect June 30, and another spike was reported around July 16, according to data. Since then, the numbers have decreased significantly, but are still around as high as some of the April numbers.

“Even though our rolling, seven-day average case numbers seem to be coming down, we need to do everything we can to continue that progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We saw a spike in the number of cases after the Stay At Home order was lifted in May, and we have continued to see more spread of the virus throughout the summer. This new guidance will help protect our students, coaches, teachers, and families,  and, we hope, help prevent another spike in case numbers,” said Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy medical officer with the Unified Government Health Department.  

According to the Health Department, the new sports orders will prevent a spike i positive cases through exposure from sports and activities where it is difficult to maintain social distancing or wear masks; provide consistent guidance for all non-professional sports at all levels; and reduce the possibility of more restrictive future measures.

“We needed to provide consistent guidance for fall sports at all levels,” explained Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for the Unified Government Health Department. “We’ve seen how challenging it has been for professional sports such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and college football conferences to create and enforce protocols designed to protect players and coaches. If these large, extremely well-funded organizations can’t protect their players and coaches, it is unlikely that local school districts and sports clubs will be able to protect student athletes and athletic staff. That’s why this guidance covers all nonprofessional sports organizations regardless of their organizational type or status.”

There is no end date on the Health Department’s sports order, according to Friesen. It will remain in effect until conditions in Wyandotte County warrant a change or modification, she said.

“We need to keep a close eye on what’s happening with cases and spread in the community,” she said, “to determine when it would be safe to remove any restrictions.”

They will have to continue looking at the situation as they get into the winter and spring seasons, she said. The disease can change very quickly, she added.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association executive board voted July 28 not to postpone fall activities. Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said on Aug. 6 that this was not likely to be successful. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Aug. 6 was monitoring 63 COVID-19 cases linked to sports.

Health Department officials noted in the news release that there were other outbreaks around the state and nation of COVID-19 linked to sports activities. These included

• On July 3 the University of Kansas suspended voluntary workouts because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in athletes returning to campus;
• On Aug. 5, the University of Louisville suspended all fall sports after 29 athletes tested positive for COVID-19;
• In late July, the Miami Marlins announced an outbreak involving 18 players, causing several games to be suspended and team members to be quarantined in a hotel in Philadelphia.
• As of Aug. 11, the St. Louis Cardinals had 10 players and seven staff members test positive for COVID-19, causing a two-week suspension in their games and major disruption to the shortened Major League Baseball season.
• During the week of Aug. 9, both the Big Ten and PAC-12 conferences postponed their college football seasons due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

The decision to restrict competitive contact sports in Wyandotte County is based both on the fact that COVID-19 remains a threat and the pragmatic understanding that many local organizations do not have the financial resources necessary to ensure the safety of children and adults, according to the Health Department.

The new health order states that a 45-person mass gathering limitation will apply to all activities and events subject to the order.

It also states that practice and conditioning in winter sports including boys and girls basketball and wrestling are limited to activities where 6 feet of social distancing can always be continuously maintained between individuals. The order also mandates frequent sanitizing and cleaning of surfaces and shared equipment.

Sports and activities that are allowed during the fall sports season include debate, speech, tennis, gymnastics, golf, cross country and other non-contact spirit activity, provided they adhere to the guidelines of the KSHSAA Activity Specific Risk Management Considerations manual, according to the health order.

The new health order says that masks are mandated whenever a 6-foot space cannot be maintained. Also, violation of the order carries a misdemeanor charge with a maximum fine of $500 and a 30-day jail sentence, according to the health order.

Details from the new local health order include:

  • Competitions for football, volleyball, soccer and marching band are prohibited.
  • Practice and conditioning activities in such sports may proceed in the event 6 feet social distancing can always be continuously maintained between individuals.
  • Practice and conditioning in the winter sports of boys and girls basketball and wrestling are also limited to activities where 6 feet social distancing can always be continuously maintained between individuals.
  • Sports or activities during the 2020 fall sports season such as debate, speech, tennis, gymnastics, golf, cross county, or other non-contact spirit activity are allowed provided they adhere to the guidelines in the KSHSAA Activity Specific Risk Management Considerations manual.
  • Frequent sanitizing and cleaning of surfaces and shared equipment is required.
  • Masks must always be worn by athletes and coaches indoors; and outdoors during practice or competition when 6-foot distance cannot be continuously maintained.
  • All schools and non-professional sports organizations visiting Wyandotte County for competition must strictly adhere to all Wyandotte County local health officer orders.
  • It is the responsibility of the host school or non-professional sports organization to inform the visiting team of this and all related local health officer orders.
  • Non-participating individuals attending indoor practices or competitions must adhere to social distance practices and mask wearing mandates for indoor functions.
  • Non-participating individuals attending outdoor practices and competitions must wear masks in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained.

AG opinion says school boards can have final say

The largest school districts in Wyandotte County have already made their decisions to either lead or follow the health department’s order on limiting fall sports, so a new opinion from the state attorney general could be a moot point for most students in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas attorney general on Aug. 11 issued an opinion that says school boards can make their own final decisions about whether or not to have sports, and also about whether or not to wear masks and implement other health orders.

According to the attorney general’s opinion, county commissions have authority over the health orders in their counties, while school boards have the authority over the health measures at their schools.

Friesen said they will need to look at the opinion and consult with their legal department and colleagues before making any comments about the attorney general’s opinion.

An AG opinion is considered to be stronger than an individual attorney’s opinion, but not as strong as a court ruling.

Doctors point out the changing nature of information about COVID-19

During a news conference on Thursday morning, doctors at the University of Kansas Health System pointed out that information about COVID-19 is constantly changing. That includes information about youth, athletes, sports and COVID-19.

Earlier, experts thought that youth were not very susceptible to COVID-19, but hospitals have been seeing some young patients admitted for it, according to the doctors. While the numbers may be fewer than adults, there are still some cases involving children.

Dr. Tim Beaver, sports cardiologist, said Thursday morning at the KU Health System news conference that a condition called myocarditis, inflammation of the heart, has developed in some patients after they have contracted COVID-19.

Doctors can’t really tell athletes at this time how safe it is to resume sports after they have contracted COVID-19, according to Dr. Beaver. There are studies being conducted currently that may answer some of the questions about it later, he said.

Myocarditis and other effects of COVID-19 have been one of the reasons that colleges and the pros are conducting periodic COVID-19 testing on athletes.

The doctors today said they don’t have all the information now to tell athletes when it will be safe to return to their sport. They also said since some COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, athletes may not know that they’ve had it and may not know if they have developed myocarditis.

Some of the professional teams have enough funding to monitor the health of their athletes closely, which is not always possible for amateur teams and high school teams.

It’s becoming necessary for doctors to help athletes look at the risk and benefits of playing sports in these times, according to the doctors. If athletes have already had COVID-19, some of the doctors would recommend that they sit out this season.

The doctors also discussed confusion that some post-COVID-19 patients have, and also concussions.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the KU Health System, said there were emerging therapies being developed every day, and the pandemic probably won’t be long-term. It sometimes takes time for the body to recuperate fully, he added.

The new health order concerning sports in Wyandotte County is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/08132020localhealthofficerorderregardingsports.pdf.