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When should youth sports and professional sports reopen?

Wyandotte County, on its COVID-19 webpage at 1:05 p.m. today, reported a smaller increase of positive COVID-19 cases from Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, with four more cases, totaling 1,276, and no new deaths from Tuesday, totaling 72. (UG COVID-19 webpgae)

At a news conference on Wednesday morning, University of Kansas Health System doctors discussed the topic of reopening sports.

Dr. David Smith, youth sports medicine medical director at KU Health System, said youth had missed spring sports and are revved up and ready to go with summer sports.

However, he said coaches, parents and youth need to be cautious as they start back.

Dr. Smith, on the advisory committee for the Kansas State High School Athletic Association, said the state organization has issued guidelines on returning to activities. They will allow a return to youth sports on June 1, following guidelines set by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Some school districts will start youth sports on June 1, while some will wait to June 15 and July 6, he said.

He added he hopes youth will be smarter than some of the adults seen on videos last weekend at pool parties in the Ozarks.

Dr. Smith said there could be some changes ahead for sports, such as not switching sides in volleyball, or perhaps football linemen wearing face shields. Some of the ideas are not yet approved.

Dr. Vincent Key, who is a doctor to the Kansas City Royals, said parents need to be cautious and very thoughtful in terms of getting their youth back out and into athletics.

Dr. Key said if anyone at home is immune-compromised or has an underlying disease, such as lung disease, the parents have to take all of those factors into consideration when letting the child return to sports.

“It’s not just the child, it’s everyone around the child, the entire family,” he said.

Dr. Smith said if one person on the team gets COVID-19 it could, in theory, shut down the whole season for the team, as the other athletes could have to quarantine. The young athletes will need to be honest if they are not feeling well, and stay home if they are sick.

Nick Kenny, trainer for the Kansas City Royals, said at the news conference that he would let his child play sports if it’s appropriate. However, if a member in the family is immune-compromised, they would have to weigh the risk of allowing a child to play a sport resulting in bringing something back to a person in the household.

Kenny said the Royals are staying ready and staying fit, waiting for the reopening.

Keeping safe in the Royals dugout will be the same as being safe anywhere else, and will include staying six feet away from others as much as possible, and not sharing items, he said. There will be no high-fives, no fist bumping, no spitting, and players will use hand sanitizer, he said. There will be a person who will have the job of making sure everyone in the dugout is socially distancing and following health guidelines, he said.

Dr. Key said youth teams, including high school teams, may want to appoint a volunteer parent to make sure social distancing and health practices are maintained in dugouts.

Kenny said they would love to have the fans back in the stadium, and a lot is dependent on the recommendation of Major League Baseball, as well as what the mayor and governor think. A task force meets on the topic of a reopening plan every Wednesday.

Wyandotte County’s parks department has issued guidelines about what’s allowed at the local parks. For example, courts and fields located at the parks are open, but are limited to non-contact sports, with proper social distancing and no more than 15 people. The local rules rely on KPRA reopening guidelines. The county rules are at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

Wyandotte County, on its COVID-19 webpage today, reported a smaller increase of positive COVID-19 cases from Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, with four more cases, totaling 1,276, and no new deaths from Tuesday, totaling 72.

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at KU Health System, said they may be just starting to see any changes that may have occurred with the reopening plan going into effect two weeks ago. They won’t know if there are any upticks in the number based on Memorial Day partying until about two weeks from now. Dr. Stites said they are now seeing a number of young people who are patients, with a lot of them getting better and going home.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said there were 20 COVID-19 patients at KU Health System on Wednesday, with eight in the intensive care unit and three on ventilation. The numbers were similar to Tuesday.

The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/1103468550018634/?v=1103468550018634.

The UG’s COVID-19 information page is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.

Wyandotte County is under the state’s Phase 2 plan at covid.ks.gov.
The state plan’s frequently asked questions page is at https://covid.ks.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reopening-FAQ_5.19.2020_Final.pdf.

Additional guidelines from the governor’s office about Phase 2 are at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/AdAstraUpdate519.pdf.

Test sites are listed at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.

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

Municipal ID ordinance to be discussed by UG Commission on May 28

The Unified Government Commission will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 28, to hear a COVID-19 update and for a presentation on a safe and welcoming ordinance and municipal identification ordinance.

It will be a Zoom meeting, according to the agenda, because of COVID-19.

The public may watch the remote meeting on YouTube or UGTV on Spectrum channel 2 or Google Fiber channel 141. It also is livestreamed at https://www.wycokck.org/UGTV.aspx.

According to the agenda, the public may comment through Zoom if time permits.

Requests to make public comments will be taken until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, by the clerk’s office, telephone 913-573-5206, email [email protected] or fax at 913-573-5299. Comments also can be submitted by email to the clerk’s office.

The meeting is on the internet at Zoom at
https://zoom.us/j/98473067644?pwd=YkFzNFdMM3VMV1A2Mi82NTF2YzZEQT09
Password: 330126

The meeting also is on iPhone one-tap:
US: +13462487799,98473067644# or +12532158782,98473067644#

It is available by telephone at:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312
626 6799 or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 984 7306 7644
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/arkpLlnmN

Wyandotte County to continue following Kansas Phase 2 reopening plan

Local health order follows Ad Astra Phase 2

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced that the Ad Astra Reopening plan has transitioned away from being a statewide requirement and into a statewide guidance document. Gov. Kelly further announced that county health officers remain empowered to issue local orders adopting the Ad Astra Reopening plan if they choose.

The health order signed by the Unified Government’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Greiner, on May 20, adopting Phase 2 of the Ad Astra Reopening plan, remains in effect in Wyandotte County, according to a UG spokesman. The county will not need to issue another order on following the plan this week.

“The health order we issued on May 20 remains in effect, and the Public Health Department strongly encourages everyone to continue the practices that have helped us slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” said Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy medical officer. “Wyandotte County has a significant number of residents who are at high risk from a COVID-19 infection. The decisions we make every day to wear a mask, wash our hands, and practice social distancing help protect the most vulnerable members of our community and our friends, families, and neighbors.”

Wyandotte County will continue to follow the state’s Phase 2 guidance until at least June 8, 2020. The Phase 2 plan is available to view online at wycokck.org/COVID-19 under the “ReStart WyCo” tab or on the state website at covid.ks.gov.

“Wyandotte County will maintain a balanced approach to further relaxation of the health order, and continue to rely on high quality data as our guide,” Mayor David Alvey said in the news release. “No matter what political battles rage at the state level, our fight has been and will continue to be against the novel Coronavirus. We will restrict, or relax, as much as is necessary to prevent overwhelming first responders and our health care system, while simultaneously working to re-open our community at the appropriate time.”

Health officials: Reducing exposure remains the best defense against COVID-19

COVID-19 remains a threat in Wyandotte County, and residents, businesses, and visitors are reminded to be cautious, health officials stated. If businesses can continue to operate remotely, they are strongly encouraged to do so. The COVID-19 virus is still present in our community and minimizing exposure by working remotely continues to be a recommended strategy for limiting its spread.

Vulnerable populations, including people over 60 years old, individuals who have compromised immune systems, or who have underlying medical conditions should avoid close contact with others by practicing social distancing as much as is possible. The Public Health Department recommends wearing a mask or face-covering in public.

Under the Kansas Phase 2 plan, mass gatherings (where individuals are in one location and cannot maintain proper social distancing) of more than 15 people are prohibited. Other guidance of the Kansas Phase 2 plan includes:

Individuals are encouraged to wear masks in public settings.
When in public, people should maintain at least six feet of distance between themselves and others (not including people who reside together).
Businesses can open if they can maintain at least six feet of distance between consumers.
Restaurants or dining establishments can meet this requirement by using physical barriers to present the spread of virus between individual customers or groups of seated customers.
Casinos (non-tribal) may reopen if they comply with uniform guidelines approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Most activities and venues may re-open as long as they can maintain at least six feet of distance between individuals or groups and follow proper cleaning and public health practices.

Exceptions to the activities and venues reopening:
Outdoor and indoor entertainment venues with a capacity of 2,000 or more people
Fairs, festivals, carnivals, and parades
Summer camps
Public swimming pools
Bars and nightclubs excluding already operating curbside and carryout services

Residents, businesses, and visitors with questions about this guidance should contact 3-1-1.

According to the spokesman, Wyandotte County is aligning its advice with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in urging self-quarantining for anyone who has been in close contact with others at pool parties and bars over Memorial Day weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks.

When will we move to the next phase?

Phase 2 will remain in effect until at least June 8. County health officials will continue to monitor key data on the status of COVID-19 to determine next steps in the community’s re-opening process. Those metrics include:

The number of hospitalizations and deaths in Wyandotte County and surrounding area hospitals over a 14-day period, and
The percentage of positive tests over a 14-day period.

Why a phased approach to reopening?

Wyandotte County’s phased approach is designed to ensure two things:

That local hospitals are not overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases.
That vulnerable populations, including those over 60 years old, individuals who have compromised immune systems, or those who have underlying medical conditions are protected.

Protecting the health and wellness of everyone in the community, and especially our vulnerable populations, remains a top priority in Wyandotte County. The county has been hit especially hard by COVID-19, and our recovery process must include health protections for residents, businesses, and visitors. The recovery process will include a systematic and disciplined approach to re-opening based on what the data tells us about the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County.

Residents with questions about the Phase 2 plan should contact 3-1-1 or visit the “ReStart WyCo” tab available at wycokck.org/COVID-19 . To learn more about the county’s COVID-19 response, access important FAQs, and view additional information, visit wycokck.org/COVID-19.