COVID-19 updates: Kansas unemployment reaches record; Corrections officers honored
The unemployment rate in Kansas set a record because of layoffs and furloughs related to the stay-at-home orders to fight the spread of the the coronavirus, according to statistics released Friday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The unemployment rate in Kansas reached 11.2% in April. That’s the highest rate on record in Kansas and up significantly from the March rate of 2.8%. Previously, the highest unemployment in Kansas was 7.3%, a figure recorded in August 2009 during the Great Recession.
In April, the BLS counted more than 168,000 unemployed people in Kansas — a 257% increase over the 47,113 people who were unemployed in April 2019.
Missouri’s unemployment rate spiked from 3.9% in March to 9.7% in April. That’s the highest unemployment rate recorded in the Show Me State in a decade.
The BLS reported about 293,000 people were unemployed in Missouri last month — a nearly 200% spike over the 97,761 people who were unemployed in April 2019.
The national unemployment rate in April was 14.7%.
2 Lansing corrections officers who died of COVID-19 honored
Friends, family, prison staff and area law enforcement gathered in front of the Lansing Correctional Facility on Thursday night to honor two correctional officers who died earlier this month after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The men were both corrections supervisors at the facility and died one day apart.
George Bernard Robare died on May 11 and Fella Adebiyi died on May 12. Robare worked for the Kansas Department of Corrections for more than 35 years, and Adebiyi worked for the state prison system for nearly 20 years.
“They were more than supervisors to our staff,” KDOC Secretary Jeff Zmuda said. “They really were mentors to them.”
The Lansing prison is the site of a large coronavirus outbreak, where 96 staff members and 817 inmates have tested positive. Four inmates from the prison have died after testing positive.
Brighton Gardens put residents in “immediate jeopardy”
Violations at Brighton Gardens, a Prairie Village nursing facility, put residents who lived in three wings of the property in “immediate jeopardy related to the spread of COVID-19,” according to a state report.
The facility, which has had 81 cases and 15 deaths from the coronavirus, was issued an “Immediate Jeopardy” tag early this month, which is the most severe citation issued by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
“They were able to address the issues that lead to the IJ citation and abated that during the onsite inspection,” said Cara Sloan-Ramos, a spokeswoman for KDADS.
The citation was related to the facility’s screening of employees for COVID-19. The report found an employee had worked a shift even though the employee didn’t feel well and had positive signs or symptoms of COVID-19. The employee, a certified nurse aide, reported having the symptoms on a screening form on April 16 and 17, but was allowed to care for residents in seven rooms.
The employee, along with three residents, then tested positive for COVID-19 on April 22.
Denise Falco, regional vice president of operations for Sunrise Senior Living, which owns Brighton Gardens, said Thursday: “In addition to reinforcing all measures of the community’s infection control plan,” Falco said in an emailed statement, “we swiftly executed on the necessary corrective actions including retraining all team members on screening protocols, repeating screenings on each shift and fortifying plans to assess and cohort residents in our skilled neighborhood to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Two blocks in downtown KC to close for outdoor dining
Two blocks in the Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City will close Friday to allow more outdoor dining space.
The City Council unanimously approved three pieces of legislation Thursday that allows restaurants to apply for temporary permits to run “parklets” and sidewalk and street cafes to serve more customers while under rules to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Power & Light spokeswoman Rachel Waller said in a statement that 14th Street would close between Main and Walnut streets and Walnut and Grand Boulevard. Traffic on Walnut will still be allowed through 14th Street.
The closings will allow more outdoor seating for the Bristol Seafood + Steak + Social and The Dubliner, she said.
“Blocking off 14th Street provides extra pedestrian space and room for additional restaurant operations while keeping safety and social distancing guidelines in mind,” Waller said, adding that Chipotle, Protein House, Whopper Bar and Insomnia can also use nearby patio space, such as the PNC Plaza on the north side of 14th Street.
The Leawood City Council adopted similar rules earlier this week. It granted City Administrator Scott Lambers the authority to issue expedited permits to restaurants wanting to expand or add outdoor seating.
Kansas Legislature passes restrictions on Gov. Kelly’s COVID-19 powers
During a marathon all-night session, the Kansas Legislature approved a bill Friday that gives counties the power to set rules that are less stringent than Gov. Laura Kelly’s pandemic response.
The Republican-controlled Legislature would also gain the power to block the Democratic governor’s decisions on how to spend the $1.2 billion in federal coronavirus relief.
Kelly can allow the bill become law, which would have her emergency powers extended at the price of legislative control. Counties, however, would be free to set their own restrictions. That would effectively undercut her ability to regulate the state’s reopening.
Her other option would be to veto the measure and issue a new emergency declaration to replace the current one that expires May 26. That approach would likely lead to a court fight over the limits of her executive authority.
Kelly has been using her emergency powers to reopen Kansas in phases. The gradual easing of limits is expected to continue into June. Without emergency powers, the restrictions could end abruptly.
