A get-together earlier this month at Lake Perry has resulted in 10 cases of COVID-19 and the temporary closure of the Topeka Police Academy as of Friday.
The popular lake is situated between Lawrence and Topeka, in Jefferson County.
At least two other people, including a recruit officer at the police academy, have contracted the coronavirus because they came into contact with people who were at the party. Now, all recruits at the police academy have been asked to quarantine themselves.
Another 20 people from multiple counties and two states are also in quarantine because of the boating party.
The outbreak has also led the Shawnee County Health Department to issue a warning to all who visited Lake Perry, especially if they used its public facilities any time between May 2-10, and to alert their health care providers if they begin to exhibit symptoms of the coronavirus.
WE’LL BE THE FIRST to admit that boating on Lake Perry would appear to be a safe enough activity during this pandemic.
After all, the state park offers oodles of fresh air and sunshine and plenty of space for the recommended social distancing.
But somehow that appears not to have happened.
Perhaps those involved gathered round a picnic table. Or piled into a boat. Or used the same public facilities. Or couldn’t help from touching one another.
Any of those actions are enough to transmit the highly contagious virus. Once again, the event has proven it takes only one person to bring the virus back to an entire community and the need for people to take responsibility for their actions.
Most who contract COVID-19 will be none the wiser or suffer only mild symptoms. But others experience serious illness or death. Kansas has lost 172 lives to the virus; the United States, 90,000; the world, 312,000.
LAST WEEK, Gov. Laura Kelly hedged from fully implementing Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan, citing infections have not fallen at an acceptable rate. On Friday, Kelly allowed gyms, parlors and hair salons to open as well as outdoor events to occur as long as no more than 10 are gathered at a time.
Movie theaters, bars and concert venues are still off-limits.
Some Republican lawmakers view the governor’s orders as executive overreach. On Wednesday, the Republican-dominated State Finance Council agreed to extend the state’s emergency disaster declaration only to May 26, denying Kelly’s request for another 30 days.
With only one day scheduled to wrap up the legislative session on Thursday, the ultra-right faction is hoping to convince Republican majorities to strip Kelly of her executive powers exercised during the pandemic.
If the emergency disaster declaration is allowed to lapse, Kansas could risk losing critical funding channeled through federal agencies and departments.
