Gov. Kelly says she will extend the Stay-at-Home Order

Gov. Laura Kelly says she will wait until next week before she extends the statewide Stay-at-Home order.

Kelly said her office is still working on the extension, but the order would come early next week.

Kansas Department of Corrections secretary Jeff Zmuda joined Kelly fort her daily news conference to talk about the riot at the Lansing Correctional Facility on Thursday. He said they are currently questioning inmates about the events that occurred, and they do not yet know what caused the riot. Two inmates had minor injuries, but no inmates or staff were seriously hurt.

In regards to COVID-19, Zmuda said staff began sanitizing the facility regularly in early March in an effort to protect inmates and employees from the virus. They also began screening newly admitted inmates for the virus in mid-March.

Zmuda also addressed the complaints from inmates about the healthcare provided at Lansing. A letter is being sent to the CEO of the healthcare provider for the facility, and Kansas Correctional Industries has begun making masks for inmates and staff to help protect them from the spread of the virus. There are currently twelve inmates who have tested positive for the virus, as well as sixteen staff members. Seven inmates are under observation for symptoms. The twelve positive inmates are being isolated in a separate building from the general population.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman gave an update on the amount of cases and deaths in the state, and said that there are currently seventeen areas experiencing a cluster of cases. Those clusters are in Coffey, Wyandotte and Johnson Counties. There is one new outbreak related to a religious gathering, and one new death believed to be connected to a religious gathering in Wyandotte County.

Norman also gave a short demonstration on how to correctly put on a protective mask; he said to make sure you are not touching your face or the front of the mask while you are putting it on. The masks do not eliminate the spread of the virus, but they offer an extra layer of protection for the wearer. Norman said that new studies suggest that one person with COVID-19 has the potential to infect six other people. However, with social distancing, that number goes down to about one. Norman added that Kansas's social distancing score has improved, and is now at a B-. The United States has a B.