Universities meeting next week to discuss Covid protocols

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The University of Kansas, Kansas State, Emporia State and Washburn say they have made no changes to their operations amid the pandemic and will be meeting next week to further discuss their plans.

Officials say they will be meeting prior to the spring semester starting to discuss what they will do about mask wearing and remote learning options.

The Kansas Board of Regents has delegated responsibility to make decisions related to health and safety on state university campuses to the university’s presidents and chancellor.

KDHE’s dashboard shows 15,322 new Covid-19 cases and 104 hospitalizations since Monday. Stormont Vail confirmed it has had at least one patient test positive for both Influenza A and Covid-19. Hays Medical Center also reported a case Wednesday.

Riley County has identified 161 new COVID-19 cases and 176 additional recoveries since the last report on Wednesday, December 29, 2021. There are currently 206 active cases in Riley County.

Douglas County has implemented an emergency public health order requiring face coverings for those aged two and older inside public spaces in the county that will go into effect Friday, Jan. 7. According to the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, there were 1,538 active cases reported in the county as of Jan. 3. The 14-day moving average for new cases, 89 cases per day, is a record high.