A locally recorded question and answer session on COVID-19 is being planned by local health officials.

At the March 26 meeting of the Ellsworth County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Kerianne Ehrlich, county health department supervisor, said she and Kate Schiermeyer of the Ellsworth County Medical Center are seeking a time during which Ehrlich and Andrew Bair, ECMC chief executive officer, can answer questions on the virus based on a poll sent to the community. The session will be made available to the public on local websites.

Ehrlich told Ellsworth County commissioners at their Monday meeting the session could be delayed until the first case of the virus is confirmed here because that’s when residents will have the most questions.

Postive free so far

Ehrlich said so far Ellsworth County is “positive free” of COVID-19. Of the seven tests sent to a state Kansas Department of Health and Environment laboratory, six returned negative. She is waiting for the results on the seventh test.

Statewide there have been 168 positive tests and the number continues to grow daily. The age range of the cases are 7 to 90, with a median age of 54. Kansas has reported three deaths related to COVID-19.

Ehrlich said she recently was forced to call a business and ask them to scatter a group of coffee drinkers because of current state policy limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer.

“The point of the dinein restrictions is to keep people from gathering in a small group in a dine-in place,” she said. “So if you see it, please just remind them of why we have these restrictions in place.”

Ellsworth Police Chief Emil Halfhill said he was told by Kwik Shop management that as of Saturday, March 28, or Sunday, March 29, the store will no longer be open 24 hours a day, but 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“That’s nationwide,” Halfhill said.

Keep staying at home

Ehrlich said it is important to keep reinforcing the local and state stay-at-home policy.

“There really shouldn’t be much out there that people are needing to go do that is that important,” she said.

Ehrlich also emphasized that people not travel out-of-state, or to larger cities where cases of COVID-19 continue to increase.

“I think that’s our hardest thing we’re trying to deal with,” she said. “I think we have a community that really cares, but we have a large portion that really aren’t taking it very seriously and don’t think it’s really a problem. It’s going to be a problem when it hits.”

Dealing with transients

Sheriff Murray Marston said transients are an issue.

After talking with representatives in Saline and Russell counties, the consensus is that law enforcement officers would rather risk exposure and move the transients from one county to the next as opposed to letting them take several days to move on, he said.

“It’s the lessor of two evils,” Marston said. “We’re asking our people to transport them.”

Marston said he transported the first transient recently. The person had gloves and a mask while Marston wore goggles, gloves and a mask.

“Everybody on the receiving end is not happy to get these people,” he said. “The problem is they are over 21 and are not committing any crimes. They can walk anywhere they want other than restricted areas. So all we are doing is lessening the amount of time they are in our county and communities. If you are on the receiving end, like we were a couple of days ago, you have to deal with it. We can’t stop them from coming here but we can expedite their departure.”

Marston said 75 percent of the transient migration is from west to east.

“Occasionally, it goes the other way,” he added. “Other than that, I think we’re doing pretty good.”

Taking stock

The remainder of the 50-minute meeting was spent reviewing the supply of masks, gloves and other protective equipment organizations involved in the LEPC have on hand.

Marston said his officers are putting surgical masks over the limited number of N-95 masks the sheriff ’s office has. Deputies have plenty of gloves.

Halfhill, who said the Ellsworth Police Department is not providing hotels for transients, received a box of masks from Keith Haberer, emergency management director for Ellsworth and Russell counties. His department also has plenty of gloves. He also has 239 personal size bottles of hand sanitizer that he will distribute to law enforcement.

Ehrlich said she received two shipments from the National Guard with N-95 masks, gowns, shields and gloves.

Ehrlich said Cashco has some supplies it is willing to donate to the county.

Ehrlich said homemade masks are better than nothing, but are not meant to be used for medical purposes.

“So they are not going to technically really protect you if you do come in contact with a positive case,” she said.

Jeremiah Brown, county EMS supervisor, said his department is working case-by-case.

“We’re just watching our glove and gown supply,” he said.

Jeff Florian of the Ellsworth Correctional Facility said the prison is locked down to the public.

“We are testing everybody that comes in,”he said.

Florian said ECF is still transporting inmates back and forth.

“Anytime we take an escort anywhere, when they’re done we spray the back seat with disinfectant,” he said.

Florian said ECF is being disinfected — all the showers are disinfected hourly.

“We have no flu — nothing inside as of right now,” he said.

ECMC

Bair said ECMC has two ventilators that have been converted from C-PAP machines.

“I think there is another one that might be available should we need one,” he said.

Bair said ECMC does not have an intensive care unit, but has staff that have worked in ICU.

He is continuing to make the hospital ready for the arrival of COVID-19.

“Things are going well,” he said. “As well as they can.”

ECMC is screening all of its employees as well as all people coming into the hospital.

“Right now our volumes are down because people don’t want to be there,” he said. “And I think that is exactly the right path to take.”

ECMC is taking care of its well patients at its outlying rural health clinics at Wilson and Holyrood.

Ehrlich said when the first positive case of COVID 19 is reported in Ellsworth County, the county health department and ECMC will release a joint press release to announce it.

“When we get that first case please help with rumor control,” Haberer said. “Because it’s going to be rampant.”