Keith Haberer thinks Ellsworth County might have found a way to prolong the life of N-95 surgical masks in this time of short supplies.

Haberer, emergency management director for Ellsworth and Russell counties, said the Kansas Department of Emergency Management and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have a new Battelle decontamination system for the masks, which have been in high demand because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Haberer said the masks can be decontaminated up to 20 times longer with the system — as long as they don’t have fluids or makeup on them.

Haberer said he plans to submit an application to the KDHE to take part in the decontamination program. The Ellsworth County Medical Center can also apply; however, Andrew Bair, the hospital’s chief executive officer, suggested the effort be done as a county.

Speaking at the May 7 meeting of the local emergency planning committee, Haberer noted Federal Express is the main way to transport the masks to Topeka for decontamination.

Haberer said he is telling county employees to save their masks.

“We’ll gather them all up and ship them out in the future sometime.”

During conversations with state emergency management officials, Haberer said he learned the Battelle program is geared towards the larger counties and hospitals.

“But that is not saying we can’t participate,” he added.

He said the system can decontaminate up to 80,000 masks at a time in five to seven days.

In other business:

• As of the meeting, Kerianne Ehrlich, county health department supervisor, said there were 6,344 cases of COVID-19 in Kansas, with 147 deaths statewide.

“Obviously, you all know the first positive (in Ellsworth County) came about this week,” she said. “It was related to the correctional facility.”

Ehrlich said any of the contact tracing that was done in relation to the staff person or inmates that would have been around the staff person was done by the state. Ehrlich said she did the contact tracing for individuals outside of the prison who had close contact with the infected person.

“The state pretty well swooped in and did the majority of the work on that one,” she said. “I think we just have to open our eyes to realize that this could be really major for our county. We’ve seen how it affected Lansing. I hope it doesn’t get that big.”

Ehrlich said she knows the Ellsworth Correctional Facility already has precautions in place due to the cases at Lansing.

Ehrlich said she hopes those precautions will minimize the effect here.

Ehrlich said all ECF staff are required to wear masks at all times at work.

Information from KDHE indicates 74 people in Ellsworth County have been tested for the virus.

Ehrlich said she fielded several telephone calls this past week from people concerned about friends and relatives who work at the prison.

“My basic guidance to them is that if you are showing symptoms, call the (rural health) clinic,” she said. “They will see you more than likely at curbside. The clinic is still following their guidelines that we established together. They’ve worked so far and I think they are working really well.”

• Haberer said the Patterson Family Foundation of Kansas City, Mo., has donated 620 KN-95 masks to Ellsworth County emergency management. The KN-95 masks are made in China.

If a mask has the certification number GB26262006, (which the donated masks do) it is the same as an N-95 mask, according to the state health department.

Haberer said the Kansas Department of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have not approved the KN-95 masks, because the masks didn’t pass the fit testing for health care work.

Haberer suggested giving the masks to county election workers, administrative personnel at the hospital and the health department, and dentist office employees.

Sheriff Murray Marston said he could use the KN-95 masks during prisoner transports.

• Ehrlich said Ellsworth County commissioners decided this past week to keep the county courthouse closed to the public until May 18, when possible reopening will be reevaluated.

People needing to do business in the courthouse can still call and make an appointment with a specific department.

• Haberer said a major outbreak of COVID-19 has been discovered at the Topeka Service Center on the Kansas Turnpike. The service center has been shut down for cleaning.

• Ehrlich said she has fielded a lot of questions from the public regarding the travel restrictions put into place.

She said the transition from Kelly’s Stay-at-Home order to her Phase One of the reopening of Kansas did not mean a lot of changes.

Ehrlich said the transition was meant to get the economy back up and running, not so people could plan vacations and trips.

“That’s why we chose to keep the travel restriction in place,” she said. “To try to slow down the number of people going from here to Johnson County and those widespread areas.”

Ehrlich said Kelly’s order still advises against non-essential travel.

“You can still go to your medical appointments,” Ehrlich said. “We just say if you have to go somewhere to a big city for your doctor appointments, go and come right back. Don’t stop at a Walmart in Kansas City or the Hardees by Topeka. Do your medical related thing and get back.”

Ehrlich said people need to be responsible and use their best judgment to contain the spread of COVID-19.

• Bair said ECMC is encouraging the public to see their medical provider.

“What we’ve seen all over the country is there are people who are deferring care or waiting until they really get in trouble,” Bair said. “And we don’t want that for the people in our community.