Recovery process discussed at LEPC meeting

Officials in Cloud County are beginning to discuss what recovery may look like once the stay-home order issued by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly expires on May 3.
Kelly announced on Wednesday that she was extending her executive order establishing a stay-home order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by two weeks until May 3. Her original order was set to expire on Sunday.
Cloud County Emergency Management coordinator James Quillen said during the Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting on Thursday morning that there were ongoing discussions about what would transpire once the order has expired.
"What we have been talking about is what recovery might look like after that. If it is something that the governor determines how we are going to come out of this, then how do we as a county support that. And if it something that she leaves to the local level, then how do we progress with that recovery phase as the stay at home order ends," Quillen said.
Cloud County Health Department administrator Brandi Bray said that there have been discussions about how to slowly get things back to normal.
"We hope that the state will give us a little more guidance. We don't want to go from 10 (allowed size of a group under stay-home order) to 50 or even from 10 to an unlimited number all of sudden because we feel like we are going to be back to the situation we are in right now," Bray said, "I think the state understands that they need unification in order for all of this to work."
Cloud County has had three confirmed cases of COVID-19 with no fatalities. There have not been any positive tests reported since April 6.
It was reported by the Health Department last week that two of the three individuals tested positive have recovered.
Bray said that there have been 33 or 34 tests for COVID-19 done in the county.
The Health Department staff is calling those who have been tested to go over the isolation procedure while awaiting the test results.
Bray said that previously isolation packets were distributed to those tested by law enforcement officers, but test results are now coming back faster so verbal communication is being used.
Isolation packets are being distributed to those persons who have traveled to areas that require being in quarantine and to anyone who has been exposed to a COVID-19 case.
Bray said that the county is attempting to increase the testing rate and that she believes the stay-home order is working.
Amber Knoettgen, vice president of administrative services at Cloud County Community College, announced during the meeting that all summer courses would be online. There will be no on-campus courses and no on-campus housing.
Concordia city manager Amy Lange said that a decision on whether or not the swimming pool will be opened and whether or not there will be Summer Recreation activities will not be made until at least May 1.
"We want to wait as long as we possibly can to have the best information possible," Lange said, "We know if we choose to open (swimming pool) it is going to mean enhanced cleaning protocols. So we are working through that as well. We are also trying to balance, what are the community's expectations? What do they want? What do they expect to see as we phase it back in? And then how does it impact us financially?" Lange said, "So we are working on all of that and would love to see some guidance from the state on what those cleaning protocols would need to be. Because that would help to feed our decisions related to budget and ultimately related to what we do."