Some of the metro area is reopening this week and some of it is not. Wyandotte County is among the communities not opening before May 11, and when it does reopen, it will be a gradually phased-in reopening, according to officials.
COVID-19 cases, meanwhile, continued to increase in Wyandotte County on Monday.
Positive COVID-19 cases saw an increase on Monday and over the weekend in Wyandotte County and also at the University of Kansas Health System, according to doctors at a KU Health System news conference on Monday morning.
Three were 877 positive COVID-19 cases in Wyandotte County as of 1:45 p.m. May 4, according to the Unified Government COVID-19 webpage. It was an increase of 53 cases since Sunday afternoon. Wyandotte County COVID-19 deaths totaled 60, an increase of five since Sunday.
Cases increased 53 on Saturday and 62 on Sunday in Wyandotte County. The county has stepped up testing in the last week.
Kansas reported 5,245 positive COVID-19 cases with 136 deaths on Monday, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment website. It was an increase of 215 cases and two deaths statewide since Sunday.
The University of Kansas Health System reported 31 COVID-19 patients on Monday morning, an increase of around 10 from last week, when numbers were in the 20s, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System. He said there were 15 COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit and five on ventilators. Dr. Hawkinson said it was possible that some patients had transferred in from other counties. He said there could be mini-waves or small fluctuations based on hotspots in the area.
Wyandotte County and Johnson County remain under a stay-at-home order through May 10, while some other parts of the metropolitan area are opening earlier. If the Wyandotte County health officer sees progress in fighting COVID-19, Wyandotte County could then move into the first phase, the “red zone,” a limited reopening, on May 11. The stay-at-home order could be extended if health officials do not see progress.
Wyandotte, Johnson and Jackson counties all have a possible May 11 reopening date, while Kansas City, Missouri has a reopening date of May 15, with a soft opening of certain businesses that do not have public customers on May 6. Some other counties in the metropolitan area are starting to reopen today.
Advice on reopening offered to businesses
As parts of the Greater Kansas City area are starting to reopen this week, area businesses are being offered advice from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
Joe Reardon, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president, said at the news conference today that when going back to work, businesses want to do it safely, be smart and protect their workers and visitors.
The GKC Chamber has been working on a strategy on how to safely return to work, and came out with a 20-page document last week, “Safe Return KC Guide,” giving guidelines about steps to think about and to take, he said.
He said there are two lanes for businesses to consider, one involves government regulations, and the other is what you need to think about in your own workplace that needs to be done.
“That’s truly where our guidance comes in, not on the government side,” Reardon said.
The GKC Chamber’s guide will help people in business think about what they need to do to be safe, he said.
In answer to a question, Reardon said there will be substantial financial impact on the Greater Kansas City economy from COVID-19, but no one knows the full extent of it yet.
“You certainly are going to see an economy that has been damaged by this,” he said. “The big question is what does recovery look like, how quickly will recovery come.”
COVID-19 will be here for a long time, and it will be a new normal, he said. They will all have to figure it out to have the economy grow in the right direction, he added.
“We’re a pretty diversified economy, relative to other regions,” he said. “The hit to the economy won’t be as extreme as some other places, and our recovery will be a little more steady, probably not as extreme the other way.”
Reardon recommended that businesses with employees successfully working from home should try to continue that practice for now.
When the GKC Chamber released its guide last week, it also opened a help desk at [email protected], he said. The guide is online at https://www.kcchamber.com/sites/default/files/2020-04/SafeReturn-GUIDE.pdf.
Sometimes the GKC Chamber’s help desk will have an answer for questions, and other times the GKC Chamber will reach out and refer businesses to a source with the answers, he said.
The GKC Chamber is trying to help businesses through the transition of reopening.
“Business has changed, and you’re not going to go back to normal operations, as least for the foreseeable future,” Reardon said.
KU Health System preparing for a return of patients
The KU Health System, preparing for more patients, has remained open the entire time in a safe and thoughtful way, according to Tammy Peterman, president of the Kansas City Division of KU Health System.
They have focused on reducing harm every day for the last several years, she said. As they continue to see more patients, they will do so in a safe way, she said.
Bob Page, president and CEO of the KU Health System, said the hospital has been seeing around 500 patients a day, compared to a maximum number of 800 to 900. Doctors said they are seeing about about 4,200 outpatients currently in telehealth and patient visits, when a normal day is about 5,000.
Page said there have been stories about patients not seeking care for strokes and heart attacks, and patients should not forgo necessary health care.
Peterman urged patients to call their providers and work with them. Health care may look a little different and feel different with some new safety procedures in place.
Dr. Hawkinson said that as society starts to reopen, it will be more of the individual’s responsibility to stay home when they are sick, wash hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face, cough into your elbow, only go out if it’s essential and stay six feet apart.
Other counties’ COVID-19 totals
On Monday, according to the KDHE, Leavenworth County reported a total of 529 cases, an increase of 31 cases from Sunday. Johnson County reported 504 total cases, an increase of six cases from Sunday, according to the KDHE.
Eighty-two counties reported positive cases on Monday, according to KDHE, and some of them included: Ford County (Dodge City area), 832; Seward County (Liberal area), 580; Finney County (Garden City area), 498; Sedgwick County (Wichita area), 409; Lyon County (Emporia area), 255; and Shawnee County (Topeka area), 128.
Douglas County (Lawrence area) reported 51 cases, and Riley County (Manhattan area) reported 55 cases, according to the KDHE.
To view the KU Health System news conference, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/3566855046682531/?v=3566855046682531
To view the GKC Chamber’s Safe Return KC guide, visit https://www.kcchamber.com/sites/default/files/2020-04/SafeReturn-GUIDE.pdf
The UG’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The Wyandotte County reopening plan, a 41-page document, was posted Thursday night at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/RestartWYCOGuidanceDocument043020.pdf
The Kansas COVID-19 website is at https://covid.ks.gov/.
The Kansas COVID-19 resource page is at https://govstatus.egov.com/coronavirus
Information from the CDC is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/.