TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are looking for extra hospital beds, releasing jail inmates and bracing for a slump in state tax collections as they add farmers’ and ranchers’ springtime practice of burning pastures to the list of things to avoid during the coronavirus pandemic.
With confirmed coronavirus cases having almost quadrupled over the past week, more than 1.7 million of the state’s 2.9 million residents are facing local stay-at-home orders. That’s taking an economic toll, and the state has seen a huge jump in claims of unemployment benefits.
Coronavirus-related developments Thursday in Kansas:
MORE CASES
The state has at least 168 confirmed coronavirus cases, an increase of 42 since Wednesday alone. There have been four deaths since March 11.
At least 14 counties have issued stay-at-home orders, covering more than 1.8 million of the state’s 2.9 million residents, or 62%.
The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people but can cause a severe illness for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.
JAIL INMATES
RELEASED
In the Wichita area, about 200 inmates have been released from the Sedgwick County Jail since mid-March over concerns about the coronavirus. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett told The Wichita Eagle that the goal is to give the Sedgwick County Jail “breathing room” so it has enough space to isolate inmates who might fall ill in the coming weeks.
ECONOMIC FALLOUT
With 600 movie theaters across the U.S. closed, Leawood-based AMC Theatres has furloughed its entire corporate staff of about 400 people, The Kansas City Star reported.
Gov. Laura Kelly said in an interview that economic fallout is likely “hitting already” for state tax collections. She also postponed the state’s income tax filing deadline to July 15 from April 15, delaying big collections that come in the spring.
State officials and university economists issue a new fiscal forecast for state government on April 20 that’s expected to be more pessimistic about revenues.
But there was some good news Thursday, at least for auto workers in the Kansas City area: Ford Motor Co. announced that it plans to reopen its plant in Claycomo, Missouri, on April 14.
