LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Only eight souls live on the square-mile section where Jeff Hatfield farms south of Wichita: him, his wife, daughter, son-in-law, three grandchildren and a neighbor.

The coronavirus pandemic still managed to find him.

Not, thankfully, in the form of sickness. For him, the virus’s toll is the damage to his business.

“It’s hurt it tremendously,” he told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article241920356.html">The Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;on a recent morning phone call while driving a tractor back from feeding his 120 head of cattle on the farm near Belle Plaine.

“Agriculture definitely hasn’t been spared anything from our economy being down,” Hatfield said. “It’s been hit quite drastically.”

In the early weeks of the outbreak, it appeared as if rural areas might ride out the pandemic relatively unscathed. Officially, many of the state’s rural counties still show no or very few cases.

But the growing realization is that not even the farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers who feed America will escape the economic trauma sweeping the country. Still, they’re hopeful the critical nature of food production will help them through the worst of it.

Nearly 50 of Kansas’s 105 counties still have no confirmed cases more than a month after the state’s first case. These counties are largely rural and dominated by agriculture.

Interviews with more than a dozen Kansas farmers, ranchers, health officials and community leaders show how for many in the state’s rural areas, work continues unabated even as urban areas hunker down. While those living in rural Kansas say they’re taking precautions to limit the spread of the deadly virus, the essential work of agriculture must go on despite the risk.

In food processing, the risks for workers are especially acute. An outbreak in a packed plant could cause painful disruptions and stretch an already-strained rural health care system.

Thousands of people continue to process cattle everyday at the Tyson Foods plant at Holcomb near Garden City. An outbreak would represent a nightmare scenario – rapidly spreading the contagion while disrupting a plant that processes about 5% of all American beef on any given day. The company operates other plants in Kansas and Missouri as well.

Joe Gonzales, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, knows several people who work at the plant.

“They’re worried that some people might have it and aren’t saying nothing or they don’t have a temperature – you never know,” he said.

Tyson spokeswoman Liz Croston declined to say whether anyone at the Holcomb plant has tested positive. Workers at all facilities – including Holcomb – have their temperature taken before they enter plants, she said.

The company is working to secure face coverings and plants have increased the distance between workers, she said. Additionally, the time between shifts has been lengthened to reduce worker interaction and outdoor seating has been provided to give employees more space during breaks.

“If there is a confirmed case at one of our locations, as part of our protocol and in collaboration with health officials, we notify anyone who has been in close contact with the person and instruct them to go home and self-quarantine,” Croston said in an email. “We also inform team members who have not been exposed and provide information to our supervisors so they can help answer questions.”

Gov. Laura Kelly said her administration has been in touch with both Tyson and Cargill, which processes beef in Dodge City. Both companies have implemented procedures to make plants safer while maintaining production.

“I talked with the CEO of Tyson the other day and they are having half the number of people come in to the facility at any given time, so they’re essentially doing two shifts,” Kelly said Friday at a news conference.

Outbreaks have already struck meat plants throughout the country, and some employees have died. More than 80 workers at a Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota have tested positive, forcing the facility to temporarily close. Workers have tested positive at plants in Iowa, Georgia and other states. A Tyson plant in Iowa was also closed.

Kansas already got a taste of what a large-scale disruption in a meat plant would look like when a fire last fall temporarily shuttered Tyson at Holcomb.. The event affected beef prices nationally and sent ranchers scrambling to find other places to send their cattle.

The United States has very little slack in its cattle processing capacity, said Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association. Any disruption quickly filters down to farmers and ranchers, who are even now sending cattle to auctions every day.

“Those cattle that should have been harvested this week don’t get harvested until next week. Next week’s cattle gets delayed, so you just push cattle out, so that has a downward effect on the cattle market,” Teagarden said. “So it makes this situation even worse from a cattle producer perspective.”

Hatfield’s up against a ticking clock. He’s hoping his grass greens up before he runs out of feed for his cattle and is forced to begin selling.

He wants to take some of his older cattle to market, “but with the market being the way it is, I’m trying to hold off on that as long as I can.”

Forty-one U.S. senators, including Jerry Moran of Kansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue earlier this month asking him to provide relief to farmers. They wrote that cattle producers recently experienced “excessive price losses” creating “cash flow challenges as spring planting season quickly approaches.”

President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that he had instructed Perdue to expedite help for farmers.

“I expect Secretary Purdue to use all of the funds and authorities at his disposal to make sure that our food supply is stable, strong, and safe,” Trump tweeted without elaborating.

While rural Kansas is expected to take a beating economically, the losses will likely end up smaller than in urban areas. Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University, said employment could fall by 27% in Kansas, and 35% in Wichita. But the decline is projected at less than 20% in rural areas.

“I think the rest of the state is going to fare much better than the bigger urban areas,” Hill said.

Lona DuVall, president and CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, which encompasses Garden City, said the county has a production-based economy centered not only on food but also on trucking and that much of the business that occurs is “essential.” That’s helping the county withstand the economic pressure.

“What we maybe sometimes think of as an urban-rural divide is actually more of a difference between a production economy and a service economy,” DuVall said.

Eighty-eight people filed unemployment claims in Finney County during the week ending April 4. While the number is dozens more than most western counties, it’s still a far cry from urban areas where thousands are being laid off and furloughed.

In Greely County, bordering Colorado, not a single new unemployment claim was filed between March 29 and April 4. In neighboring Wallace County, just one claim was filed.

Both counties have no reported cases of coronavirus.

Aften Gardner, an administrator for the Wallace County Health Department, said the county has only had to shut down its salon. Most of the businesses in town center on agriculture – meaning they’re essential under Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide stay-at-home order.

“It’s kind of different for us,” Gardner said. “We’re kind of rural and ag-based.”

People have been avoiding going out, Gardner said, particularly those who are high-risk for COVID-19. Businesses have switched to curbside and delivery methods.

The county hasn’t had a confirmed case of the new coronavirus yet. Gardner said if it enters the county, officials would roll out more restrictions, like roping off playgrounds.

Kansas Rep. Russ Jennings represents a swath of western Kansas extending from Garden City to the Colorado border. He said his impression is that people are taking the stay-at-home order seriously.

The Lakin Republican said a local parts store was taking order by phone.

“They’re basically met at the door and handed their stuff, they’re not even letting people inside the building,” he said.

Despite few confirmed cases, Jennings suggested rural areas are still taking the threat of the virus seriously in part because small community hospitals are unlikely to have equipment found in larger hospitals in places like Garden City.

If you have to be hospitalized, you’re likely going somewhere away from your hometown, Jennings said. And, he says, residents in the communities he represents tend to be older, and more at risk if they catch the virus.

Former Gov. Jeff Colyer, a physician, said some rural hospitals in Kansas have already experienced an overflow of patients.

“You’re going to have little tiny hot spots, but because it’s 25 or 100 people at a time, it doesn’t make the front page,” Colyer said. “But believe me, it’s devastating for these communities. Ten percent of the community could be affected and sick at the same time.”

John McRae, president of Iola Industries in Allen County, said he hasn’t been able to visit his grandchildren in Olathe and Des Moines because of the pandemic. Allen County, in eastern Kansas, still has no confirmed cases, but residents are taking precautions.

McRae said last month he and his associated had debated whether to travel to Topeka for a meeting. They didn’t end up going.

Hatfield, the Belle Plaine farmer, said people in his area aren’t jumping in pickup trucks together or visiting each other. Everyone is trying to be more conscientious of friends, family and neighbors, he said.

He and his wife recently ordered groceries online for the first time. The local co-op has been keeping everyone out of the office. The restaurants are closed when he drives through town.

“The interaction with everybody that we’re just so used to having is just not there,” Hatfield said.

But for now, all he can do is plant corn and feed his cattle.

“My cattle, they’re just waiting like everybody else,” he said. “They’d like to see it warm up and the grass green up a little better.”

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Only eight souls live on the square-mile section where Jeff Hatfield farms south of Wichita: him, his wife, daughter, son-in-law, three grandchildren and a neighbor.The coronavirus pandemic still managed to find him.Not, thankfully, in the form of sickness. For him, the virus’s toll is the damage to his business.“It’s hurt it tremendously,” he told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article241920356.html">The Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;on a recent morning phone call while driving a tractor back from feeding his 120 head of cattle on the farm near Belle Plaine.Beef prices are down. Grain prices, too.“Agriculture definitely hasn’t been spared anything from our economy being down,” Hatfield said. “It’s been hit quite drastically.”In the early weeks of the outbreak, it appeared as if rural areas might ride out the pandemic relatively unscathed. Officially, many of the state’s rural counties still show no or very few cases.But the growing realization is that not even the farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers who feed America will escape the economic trauma sweeping the country. Still, they’re hopeful the critical nature of food production will help them through the worst of it.Nearly 50 of Kansas’s 105 counties still have no confirmed cases more than a month after the state’s first case. These counties are largely rural and dominated by agriculture.Interviews with more than a dozen Kansas farmers, ranchers, health officials and community leaders show how for many in the state’s rural areas, work continues unabated even as urban areas hunker down. While those living in rural Kansas say they’re taking precautions to limit the spread of the deadly virus, the essential work of agriculture must go on despite the risk.In food processing, the risks for workers are especially acute. An outbreak in a packed plant could cause painful disruptions and stretch an already-strained rural health care system.Thousands of people continue to process cattle everyday at the Tyson Foods plant at Holcomb near Garden City. An outbreak would represent a nightmare scenario – rapidly spreading the contagion while disrupting a plant that processes about 5% of all American beef on any given day. The company operates other plants in Kansas and Missouri as well.Joe Gonzales, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, knows several people who work at the plant.“They’re worried that some people might have it and aren’t saying nothing or they don’t have a temperature – you never know,” he said.Tyson spokeswoman Liz Croston declined to say whether anyone at the Holcomb plant has tested positive. Workers at all facilities – including Holcomb – have their temperature taken before they enter plants, she said.The company is working to secure face coverings and plants have increased the distance between workers, she said. Additionally, the time between shifts has been lengthened to reduce worker interaction and outdoor seating has been provided to give employees more space during breaks.“If there is a confirmed case at one of our locations, as part of our protocol and in collaboration with health officials, we notify anyone who has been in close contact with the person and instruct them to go home and self-quarantine,” Croston said in an email. “We also inform team members who have not been exposed and provide information to our supervisors so they can help answer questions.”Gov. Laura Kelly said her administration has been in touch with both Tyson and Cargill, which processes beef in Dodge City. Both companies have implemented procedures to make plants safer while maintaining production.“I talked with the CEO of Tyson the other day and they are having half the number of people come in to the facility at any given time, so they’re essentially doing two shifts,” Kelly said Friday at a news conference.Outbreaks have already struck meat plants throughout the country, and some employees have died. More than 80 workers at a Smithfield Foods plant in South Dakota have tested positive, forcing the facility to temporarily close. Workers have tested positive at plants in Iowa, Georgia and other states. A Tyson plant in Iowa was also closed.Kansas already got a taste of what a large-scale disruption in a meat plant would look like when a fire last fall temporarily shuttered Tyson at Holcomb.. The event affected beef prices nationally and sent ranchers scrambling to find other places to send their cattle.The United States has very little slack in its cattle processing capacity, said Matt Teagarden, CEO of the Kansas Livestock Association. Any disruption quickly filters down to farmers and ranchers, who are even now sending cattle to auctions every day.“Those cattle that should have been harvested this week don’t get harvested until next week. Next week’s cattle gets delayed, so you just push cattle out, so that has a downward effect on the cattle market,” Teagarden said. “So it makes this situation even worse from a cattle producer perspective.”Hatfield’s up against a ticking clock. He’s hoping his grass greens up before he runs out of feed for his cattle and is forced to begin selling.He wants to take some of his older cattle to market, “but with the market being the way it is, I’m trying to hold off on that as long as I can.”Forty-one U.S. senators, including Jerry Moran of Kansas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue earlier this month asking him to provide relief to farmers. They wrote that cattle producers recently experienced “excessive price losses” creating “cash flow challenges as spring planting season quickly approaches.”President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday that he had instructed Perdue to expedite help for farmers.“I expect Secretary Purdue to use all of the funds and authorities at his disposal to make sure that our food supply is stable, strong, and safe,” Trump tweeted without elaborating.While rural Kansas is expected to take a beating economically, the losses will likely end up smaller than in urban areas. Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University, said employment could fall by 27% in Kansas, and 35% in Wichita. But the decline is projected at less than 20% in rural areas.“I think the rest of the state is going to fare much better than the bigger urban areas,” Hill said.Lona DuVall, president and CEO of the Finney County Economic Development Corporation, which encompasses Garden City, said the county has a production-based economy centered not only on food but also on trucking and that much of the business that occurs is “essential.” That’s helping the county withstand the economic pressure.“What we maybe sometimes think of as an urban-rural divide is actually more of a difference between a production economy and a service economy,” DuVall said.Eighty-eight people filed unemployment claims in Finney County during the week ending April 4. While the number is dozens more than most western counties, it’s still a far cry from urban areas where thousands are being laid off and furloughed.In Greely County, bordering Colorado, not a single new unemployment claim was filed between March 29 and April 4. In neighboring Wallace County, just one claim was filed.Both counties have no reported cases of coronavirus.Aften Gardner, an administrator for the Wallace County Health Department, said the county has only had to shut down its salon. Most of the businesses in town center on agriculture – meaning they’re essential under Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide stay-at-home order.“It’s kind of different for us,” Gardner said. “We’re kind of rural and ag-based.”People have been avoiding going out, Gardner said, particularly those who are high-risk for COVID-19. Businesses have switched to curbside and delivery methods.The county hasn’t had a confirmed case of the new coronavirus yet. Gardner said if it enters the county, officials would roll out more restrictions, like roping off playgrounds.Kansas Rep. Russ Jennings represents a swath of western Kansas extending from Garden City to the Colorado border. He said his impression is that people are taking the stay-at-home order seriously.The Lakin Republican said a local parts store was taking order by phone.“They’re basically met at the door and handed their stuff, they’re not even letting people inside the building,” he said.Despite few confirmed cases, Jennings suggested rural areas are still taking the threat of the virus seriously in part because small community hospitals are unlikely to have equipment found in larger hospitals in places like Garden City.If you have to be hospitalized, you’re likely going somewhere away from your hometown, Jennings said. And, he says, residents in the communities he represents tend to be older, and more at risk if they catch the virus.Former Gov. Jeff Colyer, a physician, said some rural hospitals in Kansas have already experienced an overflow of patients.“You’re going to have little tiny hot spots, but because it’s 25 or 100 people at a time, it doesn’t make the front page,” Colyer said. “But believe me, it’s devastating for these communities. Ten percent of the community could be affected and sick at the same time.”John McRae, president of Iola Industries in Allen County, said he hasn’t been able to visit his grandchildren in Olathe and Des Moines because of the pandemic. Allen County, in eastern Kansas, still has no confirmed cases, but residents are taking precautions.McRae said last month he and his associated had debated whether to travel to Topeka for a meeting. They didn’t end up going.“Things happen so fast,” McRae said.Hatfield, the Belle Plaine farmer, said people in his area aren’t jumping in pickup trucks together or visiting each other. Everyone is trying to be more conscientious of friends, family and neighbors, he said.He and his wife recently ordered groceries online for the first time. The local co-op has been keeping everyone out of the office. The restaurants are closed when he drives through town.“The interaction with everybody that we’re just so used to having is just not there,” Hatfield said.But for now, all he can do is plant corn and feed his cattle.“My cattle, they’re just waiting like everybody else,” he said. “They’d like to see it warm up and the grass green up a little better.”

Farmers in rural Kansas still working despite virus outbreak

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to start using 3D printers to manufacture its own swabs to test for the novel coronavirus as officials look to improve the state’s near-bottom national rank in testing before lifting a stay-at-home order.

Gov. Laura Kelly and her top public health administrator, Dr. Lee Norman, have complained for weeks that Kansas isn’t a priority for testing supplies and personal protective equipment from the federal government or even private vendors, making it difficult to get them. 

The state’s struggles have continued with the Democratic governor under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">increasing pressure</a>&nbsp;from the Republican-controlled Legislature to lift restrictions hindering economic activity, with her stay-at-home order set to remain in place until May 3.

But Kelly said Friday that testing people both with and without symptoms is key. Norman said the state might not be able to loosen restrictions until later in May, a couple of weeks after the Kansas outbreak’s expected late-April peak. Kelly’s stay-at-home order took effect March 30 and is set to stay in place until May 3.

“Our ability to test and contact trace must be much more robust before we can safely proceed to open,” Kelly said during her daily coronavirus news conference at the Statehouse.

Kansas as of Friday had reported testing about 17,000 of its 2.9 million residents for coronavirus, or 5.8 for every 1,000 residents, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://covidtracking.com/" target="_blank">The COVID Tracking Project,</a>&nbsp;a website managed by journalists and analysts, with The Associated Press among the contributors to the data. That rate is the second-lowest among states, just behind Virginia’s 5.75 per 1,000 residents and a little more than half of the national figure of 10.82 per 1,000 citizens.

Testing generally has been limited to people who are showing coronavirus symptoms, though it has expanded in a handful of the state’s 105 counties, including the biggest hotspots in the Kansas City area.

Dr. Beth Oller, a family-practice physician in Stockton, said it’s “ridiculous” that in her area of northwest Kansas, testing still isn’t recommended for people who know they’ve had close contact with an infected person but aren’t yet showing symptoms.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s the way it is right now,” she said. “There are still not enough tests.”

Norman said earlier this week that the state had spent “a lot of money” on testing supplies, though the health department didn’t specify the amount, and was awaiting on some shipments of supplies.

He also said the state expects to use 3D printers next week to start manufacturing 1,000 testing swabs a week. The state would like to do another 15,500 tests on people not showing symptoms to determine how prevalent coronavirus infections are in the general population, he said.

The state Department of Health and Environment, led by Norman, reported Friday that Kansas had 1,705 confirmed coronavirus cases in 66 of its 105 counties. That was an increase of 117, or 7.4% from Thursday, with cases in three additional counties.

COVID-19-related deaths also rose 5%, up four to 84, according to the department.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.

Despite its low testing rate, Kansas’ rate of COVID-19 deaths is in the middle of the pack among states, 2.89 for every 100,000 residents as of Friday, ranking 26th, and against a national figure of 9.89.

“Always, we’re working on, what’s the pinch point, in terms of a our supply chain? Norman said Friday. “I really think that the floodgates will open up and be allowing much more broad testing within the next week.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, eager to get the economy moving again,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1251186839983132673" target="_blank">tweeted</a>&nbsp;Friday, “The States have to step up their TESTING!”

“Well, we know that,” Kelly said when asked about the tweet. “We’ve known that for a long time.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587156578878.png" alt="Drive up testing in Johnson County -photo Johnson Co. Health Department" />
 <figcaption>Drive up testing in Johnson County -photo Johnson Co. Health Department</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas plans to start using 3D printers to manufacture its own swabs to test for the novel coronavirus as officials look to improve the state’s near-bottom national rank in testing before lifting a stay-at-home order.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587176759937.png" alt="KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman listens to a question during Friday's news conference" />
 <figcaption>KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman listens to a question during Friday's news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>Gov. Laura Kelly and her top public health administrator, Dr. Lee Norman, have complained for weeks that Kansas isn’t a priority for testing supplies and personal protective equipment from the federal government or even private vendors, making it difficult to get them. The state’s struggles have continued with the Democratic governor under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dbec40f995b83b9a88cfe56cd1149708">increasing pressure</a>&nbsp;from the Republican-controlled Legislature to lift restrictions hindering economic activity, with her stay-at-home order set to remain in place until May 3.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587150220230.png" alt="Governor Laura Kelly answers questions during Friday's news conference" />
 <figcaption>Governor Laura Kelly answers questions during Friday's news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>But Kelly said Friday that testing people both with and without symptoms is key. Norman said the state might not be able to loosen restrictions until later in May, a couple of weeks after the Kansas outbreak’s expected late-April peak. Kelly’s stay-at-home order took effect March 30 and is set to stay in place until May 3.“Our ability to test and contact trace must be much more robust before we can safely proceed to open,” Kelly said during her daily coronavirus news conference at the Statehouse.Kansas as of Friday had reported testing about 17,000 of its 2.9 million residents for coronavirus, or 5.8 for every 1,000 residents, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://covidtracking.com/" target="_blank">The COVID Tracking Project,</a>&nbsp;a website managed by journalists and analysts, with The Associated Press among the contributors to the data. That rate is the second-lowest among states, just behind Virginia’s 5.75 per 1,000 residents and a little more than half of the national figure of 10.82 per 1,000 citizens.Testing generally has been limited to people who are showing coronavirus symptoms, though it has expanded in a handful of the state’s 105 counties, including the biggest hotspots in the Kansas City area.Dr. Beth Oller, a family-practice physician in Stockton, said it’s “ridiculous” that in her area of northwest Kansas, testing still isn’t recommended for people who know they’ve had close contact with an infected person but aren’t yet showing symptoms.“It’s frustrating, but it’s the way it is right now,” she said. “There are still not enough tests.”Norman said earlier this week that the state had spent “a lot of money” on testing supplies, though the health department didn’t specify the amount, and was awaiting on some shipments of supplies.He also said the state expects to use 3D printers next week to start manufacturing 1,000 testing swabs a week. The state would like to do another 15,500 tests on people not showing symptoms to determine how prevalent coronavirus infections are in the general population, he said.The state Department of Health and Environment, led by Norman, reported Friday that Kansas had 1,705 confirmed coronavirus cases in 66 of its 105 counties. That was an increase of 117, or 7.4% from Thursday, with cases in three additional counties.COVID-19-related deaths also rose 5%, up four to 84, according to the department.For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.Despite its low testing rate, Kansas’ rate of COVID-19 deaths is in the middle of the pack among states, 2.89 for every 100,000 residents as of Friday, ranking 26th, and against a national figure of 9.89.“Always, we’re working on, what’s the pinch point, in terms of a our supply chain? Norman said Friday. “I really think that the floodgates will open up and be allowing much more broad testing within the next week.”Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, eager to get the economy moving again,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1251186839983132673" target="_blank">tweeted</a>&nbsp;Friday, “The States have to step up their TESTING!”“Well, we know that,” Kelly said when asked about the tweet. “We’ve known that for a long time.”___

Kansas lags in COVID-19 testing, clouding state's reopening

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — Brooklyn Dotson needed food. Her first unemployment check had yet to arrive after she was let go by the warehouse where she used to work.

So the 25-year-old Nashville woman scrounged up some gas money and drove 30 miles to the GraceWorks Ministries food pantry in Franklin. There, at the pantry’s new drive-thru, workers wearing masks and gloves loaded her van with about $350 worth of groceries.

“I don’t have any income coming in, I don’t get any food stamps, so it’s just hard to get any help right now,” Dotson said while waiting in line at GraceWorks.

Food pantries stay busy even in the best of economic times; the coronavirus pandemic has prompted a spike in demand as millions of people like Dotson find themselves furloughed, laid off or with businesses that have suffered huge financial blows.

“About 50% of the people coming through our lines have never been here before,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://graceworksministries.net/" target="_blank">GraceWorks&nbsp;</a>President and CEO Valencia A. Breckenridge.

Just as demand is skyrocketing, however, many of the food banks’ sources are drying up. Restaurants, hotels and resorts — many of which are shuttered or sharply limiting their operations — are no longer supplying them with food, while other suppliers are busy restocking grocery shelves. Farmers have switched from shipping vegetables and meats in bulk to individual packaging for grocery stores.

“It is a perfect storm scenario,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/" target="_blank">Feeding America</a>, a nationwide association of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries.

Feeding America has seen an increase in demand from 98% of its member banks, according to a recent survey. The average increase for a member was 63%, while 95% of the association’s food banks reported an increase in operating expenses, the organization said.

Congress included a significant boost for emergency food assistance in its coronavirus relief legislation, but Fitzgerald warned that funding may take months to reach localities while food banks contend with a flood of need in the near term. The $100 million that billionaire Jeff Bezos pledged to the association on April 2 was already being deployed last week, she said.

“When people say what do you need the most, we need food and money,” said Nancy Keil, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.

In addition to finding ways to meet the spike in demand, food banks have had to devise creative new ways to distribute ever greater amounts of food while keeping both recipients and their staff safe from exposure to the coronavirus.

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank in California has built “pop-up” pantries after some of its previous 275 or so sites had to stop operating during the pandemic, spokeswoman Keely Hopkins said. The new sites, many of which are serving hundreds of people per day, stay open for longer hours and use open spaces such as parking lots to facilitate social distancing, she added.

Paid staffers are diving in at many food banks to stock, sort and bag food for either delivery or drive-thru pickups, a measure they realized was necessary to protect volunteers, many of whom are older and particularly at risk for complications from the virus. Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee limits volunteers to 10 per room to fill boxes.

The board of the East Nashville Cooperative Ministry has proposed closing because so many of its volunteers are elderly, including Judy Wahlstrom, who runs the program.

Wahlstrom, 70, has refused, but she said she is taking precautions, allowing only one person inside at a time to select food off the shelves while she wears a mask and gloves.

“I said, ‘If I get it, I get it,’” Wahlstrom said. “I don’t have anybody at home dependent on me. I said, ‘I got to keep it open.’ And I gave the volunteers all the options.”

At the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, spokeswoman Cathy Nestlen said nearly 45,000 volunteers helped out last year. This year, in order to adopt best practices for social distancing to combat the virus, staffers have stepped up to help.

Nestlen said the bank, which acts as a food distribution center for hundreds of member agencies, moved to a six-day work week this month and would consider moving to seven days a week if demand called for it.

Oklahoma had ranked among the hungriest states in the nation before the coronavirus, Nestlen noted. “This pandemic on top of it just shines a light on how so many households, not just in Oklahoma but around the country, live paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “When a household becomes economically insecure, they almost immediately become food-insecure.”

Food banks like Nestlen’s are realizing the sharp increase in demand could continue for months, which she said makes donations even more crucial.

For now, one thing is certain: Whatever food they do acquire is flying off the shelves just as fast as it arrives.

“The food’s coming in the back door, and it’s going right out the front to the customers,” said Courtney Vrablik, executive director of The Store, a supermarket founded by singer Brad Paisley and his wife last month in Nashville to provide free food for those in need.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587138251980.png" alt="Photo courtesy Feeding America" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Feeding America</figcaption>
 </figure>FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — Brooklyn Dotson needed food. Her first unemployment check had yet to arrive after she was let go by the warehouse where she used to work.So the 25-year-old Nashville woman scrounged up some gas money and drove 30 miles to the GraceWorks Ministries food pantry in Franklin. There, at the pantry’s new drive-thru, workers wearing masks and gloves loaded her van with about $350 worth of groceries.“I don’t have any income coming in, I don’t get any food stamps, so it’s just hard to get any help right now,” Dotson said while waiting in line at GraceWorks.Food pantries stay busy even in the best of economic times; the coronavirus pandemic has prompted a spike in demand as millions of people like Dotson find themselves furloughed, laid off or with businesses that have suffered huge financial blows.“About 50% of the people coming through our lines have never been here before,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://graceworksministries.net/" target="_blank">GraceWorks&nbsp;</a>President and CEO Valencia A. Breckenridge.Just as demand is skyrocketing, however, many of the food banks’ sources are drying up. Restaurants, hotels and resorts — many of which are shuttered or sharply limiting their operations — are no longer supplying them with food, while other suppliers are busy restocking grocery shelves. Farmers have switched from shipping vegetables and meats in bulk to individual packaging for grocery stores.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587147581911.png" alt="Cars wait in line at food pantry in Florida-image courtesy Feeding America" />
 <figcaption>Cars wait in line at food pantry in Florida-image courtesy Feeding America</figcaption>
 </figure>“It is a perfect storm scenario,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/" target="_blank">Feeding America</a>, a nationwide association of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries.Feeding America has seen an increase in demand from 98% of its member banks, according to a recent survey. The average increase for a member was 63%, while 95% of the association’s food banks reported an increase in operating expenses, the organization said.Congress included a significant boost for emergency food assistance in its coronavirus relief legislation, but Fitzgerald warned that funding may take months to reach localities while food banks contend with a flood of need in the near term. The $100 million that billionaire Jeff Bezos pledged to the association on April 2 was already being deployed last week, she said.“When people say what do you need the most, we need food and money,” said Nancy Keil, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.In addition to finding ways to meet the spike in demand, food banks have had to devise creative new ways to distribute ever greater amounts of food while keeping both recipients and their staff safe from exposure to the coronavirus.The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank in California has built “pop-up” pantries after some of its previous 275 or so sites had to stop operating during the pandemic, spokeswoman Keely Hopkins said. The new sites, many of which are serving hundreds of people per day, stay open for longer hours and use open spaces such as parking lots to facilitate social distancing, she added.Paid staffers are diving in at many food banks to stock, sort and bag food for either delivery or drive-thru pickups, a measure they realized was necessary to protect volunteers, many of whom are older and particularly at risk for complications from the virus. Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee limits volunteers to 10 per room to fill boxes.The board of the East Nashville Cooperative Ministry has proposed closing because so many of its volunteers are elderly, including Judy Wahlstrom, who runs the program.Wahlstrom, 70, has refused, but she said she is taking precautions, allowing only one person inside at a time to select food off the shelves while she wears a mask and gloves.“I said, ‘If I get it, I get it,’” Wahlstrom said. “I don’t have anybody at home dependent on me. I said, ‘I got to keep it open.’ And I gave the volunteers all the options.”At the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, spokeswoman Cathy Nestlen said nearly 45,000 volunteers helped out last year. This year, in order to adopt best practices for social distancing to combat the virus, staffers have stepped up to help.Nestlen said the bank, which acts as a food distribution center for hundreds of member agencies, moved to a six-day work week this month and would consider moving to seven days a week if demand called for it.Oklahoma had ranked among the hungriest states in the nation before the coronavirus, Nestlen noted. “This pandemic on top of it just shines a light on how so many households, not just in Oklahoma but around the country, live paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “When a household becomes economically insecure, they almost immediately become food-insecure.”Food banks like Nestlen’s are realizing the sharp increase in demand could continue for months, which she said makes donations even more crucial.For now, one thing is certain: Whatever food they do acquire is flying off the shelves just as fast as it arrives.“The food’s coming in the back door, and it’s going right out the front to the customers,” said Courtney Vrablik, executive director of The Store, a supermarket founded by singer Brad Paisley and his wife last month in Nashville to provide free food for those in need.

Pandemic provokes spike in demand for food pantries in US

More than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">6.6 million people</a>&nbsp;filed for unemployment benefits last week – breaking a record for the U.S. that was set the previous week.

For many of these Americans, however, losing a job doesn’t just create worry about providing for their families. It also raises concerns about protecting their health during a pandemic. About half of all Americans get their health insurance through their employer, so for many people, being newly unemployed brings with it uncertainty about how to navigate their health coverage options.

It’s important for Kansans who have lost their jobs to know that the Affordable Care Act includes a provision that gives people 60 days to enroll in health care after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/qualifying-life-event/" target="_blank">qualifying life event</a>, such as job loss.

There are a variety of affordable health coverage options, including Medicaid and the federal Health Insurance Marketplace through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Each program has unique characteristics and requirements as outlined below:

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Medicaid&nbsp;offers free or low-cost health insurance coverage for lower income residents and the unemployed:

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In Kansas, Medicaid coverage includes children, pregnant women, families with children, seniors and individuals with disabilities.

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some residents may qualify based on income. Note: CARES Act supplementary unemployment insurance benefits, which can increase unemployment benefits by $600 per week, do not affect eligibility for Medicaid programs.

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Enrollment is offered year-round, and some healthcare services provided prior to enrollment may be covered retroactively.

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To enroll in Medicaid in Kansas, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kancare.ks.gov/consumers/apply-for-kancare" target="_blank">https://www.kancare.ks.gov/consumers/apply-for-kancare</a>&nbsp;or call 1-800-792-4884 (TTY: 800-766-3777).

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Health Insurance Marketplace&nbsp;is for anyone who doesn’t receive employer-provided coverage, and it allows people to choose from multiple health insurance plans to find the right coverage:

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Enrollment is available during a special enrollment period (SEP). Once a person experiences a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/qualifying-life-event/" target="_blank">qualifying life event</a>&nbsp;such as job loss, they have 60 days to enroll.

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Financial assistance is available for Marketplace coverage if a person’s expected 2020 income will be 100%-400% of the federal poverty level, which is $12,490-$49,960 for an individual and $25,750-$103,000 for a family of four.

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To be eligible for coverage, a person must live in the United States, be a U.S. citizen or national, and can’t be incarcerated.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/quick-guide/eligibility/" target="_blank">Healthcare.gov</a>&nbsp;has more details on eligibility.

o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To find out what qualifies for SEP and shop for ACA coverage, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage-outside-open-enrollment/special-enrollment-period/" target="_blank">Healthcare.gov</a>&nbsp;or call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325).

Both Medicaid and Marketplace provide an alternative that’s often more affordable than COBRA, the health insurance program that allows people to continue their employer-provided coverage if they have lost their job, and it’s important to understand the differences. While COBRA maintains a person’s existing coverage, they will pay 100 percent of the cost plus an additional 2 percent in administrative costs. Subsidies to reduce costs are not available through COBRA, and coverage can last between 18 to 36 months, depending on the circumstances of job loss. However, it will eventually expire, and a person may be required to find new coverage, either through employment, Medicaid or the ACA Marketplace.

“The impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis are far reaching. It’s not only affecting people’s health, but also their employment situation and ability to access healthcare,” said Michael Stephens, Sunflower CEO and president. “At Sunflower Health Plan, we want to support our communities in making informed decisions about their health coverage options, so they can access the care they need.”

More than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">6.6 million people</a>&nbsp;filed for unemployment benefits last week – breaking a record for the U.S. that was set the previous week.For many of these Americans, however, losing a job doesn’t just create worry about providing for their families. It also raises concerns about protecting their health during a pandemic. About half of all Americans get their health insurance through their employer, so for many people, being newly unemployed brings with it uncertainty about how to navigate their health coverage options.It’s important for Kansans who have lost their jobs to know that the Affordable Care Act includes a provision that gives people 60 days to enroll in health care after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/qualifying-life-event/" target="_blank">qualifying life event</a>, such as job loss.There are a variety of affordable health coverage options, including Medicaid and the federal Health Insurance Marketplace through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Each program has unique characteristics and requirements as outlined below:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Medicaid&nbsp;offers free or low-cost health insurance coverage for lower income residents and the unemployed:o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In Kansas, Medicaid coverage includes children, pregnant women, families with children, seniors and individuals with disabilities.o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some residents may qualify based on income. Note: CARES Act supplementary unemployment insurance benefits, which can increase unemployment benefits by $600 per week, do not affect eligibility for Medicaid programs.o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Enrollment is offered year-round, and some healthcare services provided prior to enrollment may be covered retroactively.o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To enroll in Medicaid in Kansas, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kancare.ks.gov/consumers/apply-for-kancare" target="_blank">https://www.kancare.ks.gov/consumers/apply-for-kancare</a>&nbsp;or call 1-800-792-4884 (TTY: 800-766-3777).·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Health Insurance Marketplace&nbsp;is for anyone who doesn’t receive employer-provided coverage, and it allows people to choose from multiple health insurance plans to find the right coverage:o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Enrollment is available during a special enrollment period (SEP). Once a person experiences a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/qualifying-life-event/" target="_blank">qualifying life event</a>&nbsp;such as job loss, they have 60 days to enroll.o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Financial assistance is available for Marketplace coverage if a person’s expected 2020 income will be 100%-400% of the federal poverty level, which is $12,490-$49,960 for an individual and $25,750-$103,000 for a family of four.o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To be eligible for coverage, a person must live in the United States, be a U.S. citizen or national, and can’t be incarcerated.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/quick-guide/eligibility/" target="_blank">Healthcare.gov</a>&nbsp;has more details on eligibility.o&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To find out what qualifies for SEP and shop for ACA coverage, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage-outside-open-enrollment/special-enrollment-period/" target="_blank">Healthcare.gov</a>&nbsp;or call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325).Both Medicaid and Marketplace provide an alternative that’s often more affordable than COBRA, the health insurance program that allows people to continue their employer-provided coverage if they have lost their job, and it’s important to understand the differences. While COBRA maintains a person’s existing coverage, they will pay 100 percent of the cost plus an additional 2 percent in administrative costs. Subsidies to reduce costs are not available through COBRA, and coverage can last between 18 to 36 months, depending on the circumstances of job loss. However, it will eventually expire, and a person may be required to find new coverage, either through employment, Medicaid or the ACA Marketplace.“The impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis are far reaching. It’s not only affecting people’s health, but also their employment situation and ability to access healthcare,” said Michael Stephens, Sunflower CEO and president. “At Sunflower Health Plan, we want to support our communities in making informed decisions about their health coverage options, so they can access the care they need.”

As COVID-19 affects jobs, some Kansas residents must look for new health coverage

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 85 to&nbsp; 1,790 total, the state health department reported Saturday.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 85 to&nbsp; 1,790 total, the state health department reported Saturday.&nbsp;COVID-19 deaths increased to 86<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587230222061.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump held a call with faith leaders on Friday that included discussion about a phased-in return to broader in-person worship after weeks of religious services largely shifting online in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump’s call with faith leaders came one day after the White House included houses of worship among “large venues” that could be able to reopen while observing “strict physical distancing protocols” in the first stage of a three-part&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/420a38ec14101eab70e07be367ee6422">plan to reopen</a>&nbsp;a U.S. economy that’s been frozen by the toll of the highly contagious virus.

Trump “mentioned his memories as a young child attending Billy Graham’s service at Yankee Stadium, and acknowledged that while he has enjoyed watching services online from the White House, he told the faith leaders it is important for people to soon be able to once again come together, pray, and worship,” the White House said in its statement.

Participants in the call with faith leaders said it featured discussion about how restarting in-person worship could work, without any conclusion reached, and underscored their commitment to not imperiling the health of the faithful. Indeed, Trump has said that governors would be empowered to spearhead their states’ paces of economic reopening.

Jack Graham, pastor of Texas-based Prestonwood Baptist Church, said the call included conversation about “how would we go about bringing people back together,” adding that those involved agreed that “we’re going to do that carefully and gradually, and not put people at risk.”

Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council, said that religious institutions “want to be a blessing and not a burden” by not returning to practices that could “cause more harm than good” if taken up too early.

Rodriguez added that he hoped to see clergy and other faith leaders nationwide identified as essential workers, as well as a clear resumption of outdoor religious services that can be conducted with people remaining in their automobiles. That sort of step would “help us transition to a new normal,” he said.

Cissie Graham Lynch of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, said churches would be committed to keeping their congregations safe and emphasized the importance of healing the spiritual pain caused by widespread social distancing restrictions imposed to fight the virus.

“People are lonely, people are scared,” Lynch said.

Those who participated in the call described Trump as closely engaged in the discussion.

“We may be opening, but we’re putting safety first,” the president told reporters Friday.

The faith leaders’ conversation with Trump is not the only sign that religious leaders are beginning to explore how to resume in-person worship services. The Christian executive search firm Vanderbloemen has launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vanderbloemen.com/reopening-church" target="_blank">ReopeningChurch.com</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vanderbloemen.com/reopening-school" target="_blank">ReopeningSchool.com</a>&nbsp;websites to start a conversation on that process.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587172818525.png" alt="President Trump discussed his visit with faith leaders to open Friday's Coronavirus Task Force press briefing -White House image" />
 <figcaption>President Trump discussed his visit with faith leaders to open Friday's Coronavirus Task Force press briefing -White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump held a call with faith leaders on Friday that included discussion about a phased-in return to broader in-person worship after weeks of religious services largely shifting online in response to the coronavirus pandemic.Trump’s call with faith leaders came one day after the White House included houses of worship among “large venues” that could be able to reopen while observing “strict physical distancing protocols” in the first stage of a three-part&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/420a38ec14101eab70e07be367ee6422">plan to reopen</a>&nbsp;a U.S. economy that’s been frozen by the toll of the highly contagious virus.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587086887250.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Trump “mentioned his memories as a young child attending Billy Graham’s service at Yankee Stadium, and acknowledged that while he has enjoyed watching services online from the White House, he told the faith leaders it is important for people to soon be able to once again come together, pray, and worship,” the White House said in its statement.Participants in the call with faith leaders said it featured discussion about how restarting in-person worship could work, without any conclusion reached, and underscored their commitment to not imperiling the health of the faithful. Indeed, Trump has said that governors would be empowered to spearhead their states’ paces of economic reopening.Jack Graham, pastor of Texas-based Prestonwood Baptist Church, said the call included conversation about “how would we go about bringing people back together,” adding that those involved agreed that “we’re going to do that carefully and gradually, and not put people at risk.”Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council, said that religious institutions “want to be a blessing and not a burden” by not returning to practices that could “cause more harm than good” if taken up too early.Rodriguez added that he hoped to see clergy and other faith leaders nationwide identified as essential workers, as well as a clear resumption of outdoor religious services that can be conducted with people remaining in their automobiles. That sort of step would “help us transition to a new normal,” he said.Cissie Graham Lynch of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, said churches would be committed to keeping their congregations safe and emphasized the importance of healing the spiritual pain caused by widespread social distancing restrictions imposed to fight the virus.“People are lonely, people are scared,” Lynch said.Those who participated in the call described Trump as closely engaged in the discussion.“We may be opening, but we’re putting safety first,” the president told reporters Friday.The faith leaders’ conversation with Trump is not the only sign that religious leaders are beginning to explore how to resume in-person worship services. The Christian executive search firm Vanderbloemen has launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vanderbloemen.com/reopening-church" target="_blank">ReopeningChurch.com</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vanderbloemen.com/reopening-school" target="_blank">ReopeningSchool.com</a>&nbsp;websites to start a conversation on that process.___

Trump consults faith leaders on phased-in reopening

TOPEKA — Governor Laura Kelly and Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard this week announced the agency will begin issuing an emergency food assistance benefit to current program households. The emergency
 allotment increases a household’s monthly benefit to the maximum allowed for the size of the family. The maximum monthly benefit for a family of four is $646.

“The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act allows states to provide this emergency assistance,” Howard said. “We know these additional
 funds will allow families to purchase more essential groceries for their family while also reducing their visits to grocery stores during this time of social distancing.”


“At a time when we are seeing long lines at food distribution sites these additional funds are necessary to keep Kansans fed,” Kelly said. “I also want to thank all of the eligibility workers who are making sure
 this money gets to families quickly.”


No application is necessary to receive the emergency funds. Families should start to see their March emergency benefit on their EBT card beginning April 15. The distribution will follow the standard alphabetical
 schedule. DCF will distribute April emergency benefits in mid to late May.


Households that already receive the maximum monthly allotment are not eligible for emergency assistance. The allotment is for March and April only.

Those interested in applying for food assistance can visit the DCF website at
<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C705b2d26924d4648268c08d7e1745c90%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637225762184898520&amp;sdata=lldH%2FHluxjAmACvzUTerP%2BMPrE0%2FU6Q7ZeS0VhC5eMc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">
www.dcf.ks.gov</a>.

For more information on COVID-19 visit:
<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kdheks.gov%2Fcoronavirus&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C705b2d26924d4648268c08d7e1745c90%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637225762184908478&amp;sdata=ENme12t9pM%2FqYsvopzF7gjpWZU7K1%2FJnu0EcJMtx%2BzY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">
www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus</a>.

DCFTOPEKA — Governor Laura Kelly and Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard this week announced the agency will begin issuing an emergency food assistance benefit to current program households. The emergency
 allotment increases a household’s monthly benefit to the maximum allowed for the size of the family. The maximum monthly benefit for a family of four is $646.“The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act allows states to provide this emergency assistance,” Howard said. “We know these additional
 funds will allow families to purchase more essential groceries for their family while also reducing their visits to grocery stores during this time of social distancing.”
“At a time when we are seeing long lines at food distribution sites these additional funds are necessary to keep Kansans fed,” Kelly said. “I also want to thank all of the eligibility workers who are making sure
 this money gets to families quickly.”
No application is necessary to receive the emergency funds. Families should start to see their March emergency benefit on their EBT card beginning April 15. The distribution will follow the standard alphabetical
 schedule. DCF will distribute April emergency benefits in mid to late May.
Households that already receive the maximum monthly allotment are not eligible for emergency assistance. The allotment is for March and April only.
Those interested in applying for food assistance can visit the DCF website at
<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcf.ks.gov%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C705b2d26924d4648268c08d7e1745c90%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637225762184898520&amp;sdata=lldH%2FHluxjAmACvzUTerP%2BMPrE0%2FU6Q7ZeS0VhC5eMc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">
www.dcf.ks.gov</a>. 

For more information on COVID-19 visit:
<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kdheks.gov%2Fcoronavirus&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C705b2d26924d4648268c08d7e1745c90%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637225762184908478&amp;sdata=ENme12t9pM%2FqYsvopzF7gjpWZU7K1%2FJnu0EcJMtx%2BzY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">
www.kdheks.gov/coronavirus</a>.

DCF to distribute emergency food assistance benefit in Kan.

🎥 HaysMed answers your questions about COVID-19

A 25-bed hospital is selling blood 
tests it says will tell people if they have COVID-19 immunity, but 
public health officials say that's not what the tests do.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-04-17/a-small-kansas-hospital-bought-its-own-coronavirus-tests-but-state-officials-say-it-only-detects-colds">Kansas News Service</a>

LAWRENCE — Herington Municipal Hospital got fed up 
with long waits for lab results that would tell its patients with 
respiratory symptoms whether they have the novel coronavirus.

So 
when a sales representative called the 25-bed hospital in rural central 
Kansas offering tests that produce results in less than half an hour, 
Herington ordered 500.

“We answered the phone on the right day,” CEO Isabel Schmedemann said in an interview this week. “I wish we had ordered more.”

One hundred people in her community have already come in for the test.

“They want answers,” she said. “They want to know. And they’re scared.”

Amid
 a pandemic that has hospitalized hundreds of Kansans and killed more 
than 80, supply shortages have slowed typical COVID-19 nose swab tests 
and health providers have scrambled to find solutions.

But public 
health officials around the world worry that desperation to access 
testing could open the way for unproven products that give patients a 
false sense of safety — putting them in greater danger.

Herington Hospital’s rollout of new blood-based tests triggered swift action from state and local health officials.

On
 its website, the hospital advertises the technology as approved by the 
state. “It tells you if you have immunity,” the hospital claims.

Wrong
 on both counts, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says. 
Attempts to convince the hospital of the test’s problems over the phone 
weren’t successful, the agency says.

State health secretary Lee 
Norman said he would alert other hospitals and labs around the state to 
concerns about the tests. He warned the public in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/214325436538782/" target="_blank">a press conference</a>
 viewed by tens of thousands of people on Facebook that many antibody 
tests — meant to show a patient’s exposure to a virus — don’t 
necessarily tell people what they want to know.

People who test 
positive with the Herington tests aren’t being counted toward the 
state’s COVID-19 tally. The state has about 1,500 known cases, including
 one in Dickinson County.

“You could get a positive if you had nothing other than a common cold,” county public health director John Hultgren said.

Dickinson County began calling Herington’s patients to inform them directly.

“I’m livid about this,” Schmedemann said. “We’re serious about providing quality health care.”

But KDHE points to the test manufacturer’s <a href="https://ucpbiosciences.com/product/covid-19/" target="_blank">own fine print</a>, which says a positive result could mean patients have or have had any of four coronaviruses that cause the common cold. Consequently, the results can’t confirm that a person has or had COVID-19, or that they are now immune.

Herington
 Hospital also advertises the product on its website as 100% specific to
 the virus that causes COVID-19. Manufacturer UCP Biosciences gave the 
hospital pamphlets bearing that claim, though clarifying that its 
calculations are based on about 100 samples. The company didn’t return a
 call to its California office.

The disclaimer about cold viruses doesn’t worry Shmedemann.

“The test is specific to COVID-19, but as with any test, this is part of the disclaimer,” she wrote in a follow-up email.

The
 kits, like most COVID-19 antibody tests on the market, aren’t approved 
by the Food and Drug Administration and haven’t received an expedited, 
emergency approval from the agency. Yet selling them is legal and 
Herington has continued to offer the product.

People with and 
without symptoms are eager for testing. The kits Herington bought seek 
to check whether someone has COVID-19 antibodies in their blood.

The
 goal of antibody testing is to check whether someone has been exposed 
to a specific virus and whether that could shield them from it in the 
future. (Antibodies wouldn’t yet be present for some people with current
 infections.)

Herington says on its website that the UCP test “not
 only tells you if you are positive or negative, it tells you if you 
have immunity.”

Scientists and public health experts say it’s not 
that simple. In addition to the risk that antibodies from the common 
cold could trigger a positive result, researchers don’t yet know how 
effective COVID-19 antibodies will be for staving off future infections.

“It’s
 an attractive hypothesis,” said Jim Zehnder, a professor of pathology 
and medicine at Stanford University, “but it hasn't been rigorously 
proven yet.”

Stanford has developed its own test for the antibodies that result from COVID-19.

But it hasn’t evaluated UCP’s test, and couldn’t speak to its quality. Similar tests have raised concerns, Zehnder said.

“I
 believe partly in response to these concerns raised, the FDA announced 
that they are going to start evaluating this class of test,” he said. 
“There just is not enough information at the moment to say anything 
definitive” about the UCP product.

Kansas wants to start antibody testing soon, too, health secretary Norman said this week.

In
 a followup email, the agency said it would use a platform with minimal 
risk for confusion of various viruses, and combine that with other steps
 to verify results.

The University of Kansas is researching 
COVID-19 antibodies in clinical trials. It believes widespread antibody 
testing could ultimately prove vital to the battle to control COVID-19, 
ease social distancing measures and return to life as normal.

“We 
think there will be an absolute need,” said Dana Hawkinson, a professor 
and medical director of infection control at KU Health System. “But at 
this point in time, there hasn’t been really good validated tests that 
we can use to determine that.”

Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a>
 or email her at celia@kcur.org. The Kansas News Service is a
 collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public
 Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their 
connection to public policy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587149517051.png" alt="Kansas Health Secretary Lee Norman displays a swab used for COVID-19 testing. A small hospital in central Kansas has deployed blood tests that state health officials say can produce false positives among people with common colds. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Health Secretary Lee Norman displays a swab used for COVID-19 testing. A small hospital in central Kansas has deployed blood tests that state health officials say can produce false positives among people with common colds. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A 25-bed hospital is selling blood 
tests it says will tell people if they have COVID-19 immunity, but 
public health officials say that's not what the tests do.</h2>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-04-17/a-small-kansas-hospital-bought-its-own-coronavirus-tests-but-state-officials-say-it-only-detects-colds">Kansas News Service</a>LAWRENCE — Herington Municipal Hospital got fed up 
with long waits for lab results that would tell its patients with 
respiratory symptoms whether they have the novel coronavirus.So 
when a sales representative called the 25-bed hospital in rural central 
Kansas offering tests that produce results in less than half an hour, 
Herington ordered 500.“We answered the phone on the right day,” CEO Isabel Schmedemann said in an interview this week. “I wish we had ordered more.”One hundred people in her community have already come in for the test.“They want answers,” she said. “They want to know. And they’re scared.”Amid
 a pandemic that has hospitalized hundreds of Kansans and killed more 
than 80, supply shortages have slowed typical COVID-19 nose swab tests 
and health providers have scrambled to find solutions.But public 
health officials around the world worry that desperation to access 
testing could open the way for unproven products that give patients a 
false sense of safety — putting them in greater danger.Herington Hospital’s rollout of new blood-based tests triggered swift action from state and local health officials.On
 its website, the hospital advertises the technology as approved by the 
state. “It tells you if you have immunity,” the hospital claims.Wrong
 on both counts, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says. 
Attempts to convince the hospital of the test’s problems over the phone 
weren’t successful, the agency says.State health secretary Lee 
Norman said he would alert other hospitals and labs around the state to 
concerns about the tests. He warned the public in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/214325436538782/" target="_blank">a press conference</a>
 viewed by tens of thousands of people on Facebook that many antibody 
tests — meant to show a patient’s exposure to a virus — don’t 
necessarily tell people what they want to know.People who test 
positive with the Herington tests aren’t being counted toward the 
state’s COVID-19 tally. The state has about 1,500 known cases, including
 one in Dickinson County.“You could get a positive if you had nothing other than a common cold,” county public health director John Hultgren said.Dickinson County began calling Herington’s patients to inform them directly.“I’m livid about this,” Schmedemann said. “We’re serious about providing quality health care.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587149611485.png" alt="From the website of Herington Municipal Hospital. It says: "Our clinic is now offering onsite Kansas Department of Health and Environment COVID-19 testing that generates results in just 20 minutes. Think you’ve had COVID-19? We also offer a 20 minute antibody test that not only tells you if you are positive or negative, it tells you if you have immunity. This COVID-19 test has an overall sensitivity ≥ 89.2%, the overall specificity is 100% and the overall accuracy is ≥ 96%."" />
 <figcaption>From the website of Herington Municipal Hospital. It says: "Our clinic is now offering onsite Kansas Department of Health and Environment COVID-19 testing that generates results in just 20 minutes. Think you’ve had COVID-19? We also offer a 20 minute antibody test that not only tells you if you are positive or negative, it tells you if you have immunity. This COVID-19 test has an overall sensitivity ≥ 89.2%, the overall specificity is 100% and the overall accuracy is ≥ 96%."</figcaption>
 </figure>But KDHE points to the test manufacturer’s <a href="https://ucpbiosciences.com/product/covid-19/" target="_blank">own fine print</a>, which says a positive result could mean patients have or have had any of four coronaviruses that cause the common cold. Consequently, the results can’t confirm that a person has or had COVID-19, or that they are now immune.Herington
 Hospital also advertises the product on its website as 100% specific to
 the virus that causes COVID-19. Manufacturer UCP Biosciences gave the 
hospital pamphlets bearing that claim, though clarifying that its 
calculations are based on about 100 samples. The company didn’t return a
 call to its California office.The disclaimer about cold viruses doesn’t worry Shmedemann.“The test is specific to COVID-19, but as with any test, this is part of the disclaimer,” she wrote in a follow-up email.The
 kits, like most COVID-19 antibody tests on the market, aren’t approved 
by the Food and Drug Administration and haven’t received an expedited, 
emergency approval from the agency. Yet selling them is legal and 
Herington has continued to offer the product.People with and 
without symptoms are eager for testing. The kits Herington bought seek 
to check whether someone has COVID-19 antibodies in their blood.The
 goal of antibody testing is to check whether someone has been exposed 
to a specific virus and whether that could shield them from it in the 
future. (Antibodies wouldn’t yet be present for some people with current
 infections.)Herington says on its website that the UCP test “not
 only tells you if you are positive or negative, it tells you if you 
have immunity.”Scientists and public health experts say it’s not 
that simple. In addition to the risk that antibodies from the common 
cold could trigger a positive result, researchers don’t yet know how 
effective COVID-19 antibodies will be for staving off future infections.They’re scrambling to figure that out.“It’s
 an attractive hypothesis,” said Jim Zehnder, a professor of pathology 
and medicine at Stanford University, “but it hasn't been rigorously 
proven yet.”Stanford has developed its own test for the antibodies that result from COVID-19.But it hasn’t evaluated UCP’s test, and couldn’t speak to its quality. Similar tests have raised concerns, Zehnder said.“I
 believe partly in response to these concerns raised, the FDA announced 
that they are going to start evaluating this class of test,” he said. 
“There just is not enough information at the moment to say anything 
definitive” about the UCP product.Kansas wants to start antibody testing soon, too, health secretary Norman said this week.In
 a followup email, the agency said it would use a platform with minimal 
risk for confusion of various viruses, and combine that with other steps
 to verify results.The University of Kansas is researching 
COVID-19 antibodies in clinical trials. It believes widespread antibody 
testing could ultimately prove vital to the battle to control COVID-19, 
ease social distancing measures and return to life as normal.“We 
think there will be an absolute need,” said Dana Hawkinson, a professor 
and medical director of infection control at KU Health System. “But at 
this point in time, there hasn’t been really good validated tests that 
we can use to determine that.”Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health and education for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Celia_LJ" target="_blank">@celia_LJ</a>
 or email her at celia@kcur.org. The Kansas News Service is a
 collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public
 Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their 
connection to public policy.

Rural Kan. hospital's virus test may only show you've had a cold

TOPEKA — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman discuss the state's battle against the coronavirus during their Friday afternoon news conference.

The Governor briefly addressed the lawsuits two Kansas churches and their pastors filed Thursday against her over&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20-18-Executed.pdf" target="_blank">an order</a>&nbsp;banning religious gatherings with more than 10 people to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus, arguing that the directive violates their religious and free-speech rights.

Dr. Norman said that after a number of new virus cases were reported in Western Kansas, the KDHE is sending a team to do more testing and investigate. He also discussed work at Kansas State University to determine if mosquitoes can transmit the virus.

Kansas saw its number of confirmed coronavirus cases jump again by more than 100 in a single day, past 1,700 total, the state health department reported Friday. COVID-19 deaths increased to 84.

TOPEKA — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman discuss the state's battle against the coronavirus during their Friday afternoon news conference.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F905155203283172%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The Governor briefly addressed the lawsuits two Kansas churches and their pastors filed Thursday against her over&nbsp;<a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20-18-Executed.pdf" target="_blank">an order</a>&nbsp;banning religious gatherings with more than 10 people to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus, arguing that the directive violates their religious and free-speech rights.Dr. Norman said that after a number of new virus cases were reported in Western Kansas, the KDHE is sending a team to do more testing and investigate. He also discussed work at Kansas State University to determine if mosquitoes can transmit the virus.Kansas saw its number of confirmed coronavirus cases jump again by more than 100 in a single day, past 1,700 total, the state health department reported Friday. COVID-19 deaths increased to 84.

🎥 Kan. Gov., KDHE Secretary update fight against virus

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas saw its number of confirmed coronavirus case jump again by more than 100 in a single day, past 1,700 total, the state health department reported Friday. COVID-19 deaths increased to 84.

The Department of Health and Environment said the state has 1,705 cases of the novel coronavirus in 66 of its 105 counties. That was an increase of 117, or 7.4% from Thursday, with cases in three additional counties.

The state also reported 100-plus increases in case numbers on Saturday and April 8, but the rate of increase had dropped below 5% for several days this week.

The new figure for deaths represents an increase of four over Thursday’s figure, or 5%. It came as Wyandotte County in the Kansas City area reported four new deaths, bringing its total to 35. The county reports 395 coronavirus cases, the most in the state, and has 23% of the state’s cases and 42% of its COVID-19 related deaths, despite having only 5.7% of its population.

The rise in cases and deaths and the expanding geographical spread of the coronavirus came with Republican legislators increasing pressure on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to outline a plan for lifting her stay-at-home order for the state’s 2.9 million residents..

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas saw its number of confirmed coronavirus case jump again by more than 100 in a single day, past 1,700 total, the state health department reported Friday. COVID-19 deaths increased to 84.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHEThe Department of Health and Environment said the state has 1,705 cases of the novel coronavirus in 66 of its 105 counties. That was an increase of 117, or 7.4% from Thursday, with cases in three additional counties.The state also reported 100-plus increases in case numbers on Saturday and April 8, but the rate of increase had dropped below 5% for several days this week.The new figure for deaths represents an increase of four over Thursday’s figure, or 5%. It came as Wyandotte County in the Kansas City area reported four new deaths, bringing its total to 35. The county reports 395 coronavirus cases, the most in the state, and has 23% of the state’s cases and 42% of its COVID-19 related deaths, despite having only 5.7% of its population.The rise in cases and deaths and the expanding geographical spread of the coronavirus came with Republican legislators increasing pressure on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to outline a plan for lifting her stay-at-home order for the state’s 2.9 million residents..<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587143522717.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Kansas sees coronavirus cases top 1,700; deaths rise to 84

Clara Barton Hospital thankful for treats from Hoisington Booster Club

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are struggling to break a stalemate over President Donald Trump’s $250 billion emergency request for a small-business program, stoking uncertainty about when additional support will be available in a key rescue program now exhausted of funds.

A Senate session quickly adjourned without any progress, though staff aides to House and Senate Democrats and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin convened another conference call, on legislation to shore up the Paycheck Protection Program and demands by Democrats for potential additions. The Small Business Administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dded8ead64598a3893f4046bbe857d2e">announced Thursday&nbsp;</a>it has reached its $349 billion lending limit and is no longer accepting applications, and Trump immediately weighed in on Twitter to bash Democrats.

“Democrats are blocking additional funding for the popular Paycheck Protection Program. They are killing American small businesses. Stop playing politics Dems! Support Refilling PPP NOW – it is out of funds!” Trump wrote.

GOP aides said that Mnuchin is prepared to accept additional funding sought by Democrats for hospitals, but that additional aid to state and local governments couldn’t get approval in the current round. The aides spoke on condition of anonymity to characterize internal party deliberations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1587127575852.png" alt="Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) Virginia, designated to act as Speaker pro tempore in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) Virginia, designated to act as Speaker pro tempore in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers are struggling to break a stalemate over President Donald Trump’s $250 billion emergency request for a small-business program, stoking uncertainty about when additional support will be available in a key rescue program now exhausted of funds.A Senate session quickly adjourned without any progress, though staff aides to House and Senate Democrats and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin convened another conference call, on legislation to shore up the Paycheck Protection Program and demands by Democrats for potential additions. The Small Business Administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/dded8ead64598a3893f4046bbe857d2e">announced Thursday&nbsp;</a>it has reached its $349 billion lending limit and is no longer accepting applications, and Trump immediately weighed in on Twitter to bash Democrats.“Democrats are blocking additional funding for the popular Paycheck Protection Program. They are killing American small businesses. Stop playing politics Dems! Support Refilling PPP NOW – it is out of funds!” Trump wrote.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585696207171.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>GOP aides said that Mnuchin is prepared to accept additional funding sought by Democrats for hospitals, but that additional aid to state and local governments couldn’t get approval in the current round. The aides spoke on condition of anonymity to characterize internal party deliberations.Thursday’s Senate session featured a short speech by a frustrated majority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., but no effort to pass Trump’s $250 billion request — or to shame Democrats, were they to block it as they did last week. Instead, McConnell said that he had cleared the $250 billion package on the GOP side but that Democrats would have stopped it.“Democrats would not let us reopen the program,” McConnell said. “This really should be above politics.”The Capitol is largely shuttered, requiring consensus from all sides for any legislation to pass, and top GOP leaders are vowing to stick closely to Trump’s request despite Democrats’ additional demands.The Senate is away from Washington through May 4, but it convenes twice each week for pro forma sessions that could be used to pass more coronavirus aid — though only if no senator objects. The next Senate pro forma is Monday afternoon; no action is expected at a brief Friday House session.McConnell, asked by a reporter whether he could support any agreement reached by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Mnuchin, was noncommittal.“Well, look, we’d take a look at it. My members want to plus up the small-business program. We think the need is obvious,” he told reporters. “And all the money for the other programs is not yet out the door. It doesn’t mean we won’t be dealing with them later, but we have an emergency, we ought to deal with it.”GOP leaders McConnell and Kevin McCarthy are back in Washington to monitor developments. McCarthy, the House minority leader, is closer to Trump, but both seem to fear Mnuchin might be willing to contemplate concessions that rank-and-file Republicans would find objectionable.At issue is a $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program that is a centerpiece of last month’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/2099a53bb8adf2def7ee7329ea322f9d">massive rescue bill.&nbsp;</a>The Congressional Budget Office issued an estimate for the legislation, passed virtually unanimously last month, pegging its deficit cost at $1.8 trillion. That’s less than the $2.2 trillion informal White House estimate, and the difference is because the CBO believes an almost half-trillion-dollar loan guarantee program designed to stabilize large companies and state and local governments won’t have deficit costs because the money would be paid back.The program gives grants to businesses with fewer than 500 workers so that they can maintain payroll and pay rent while shutting down their businesses during social distancing edicts.The program has been swamped by businesses applying for loans and has reached its appropriations limit. Mnuchin says $250 billion more is needed immediately.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1585696236815.png" alt="White House" />
 <figcaption>White House</figcaption>
 </figure>But Democrats want money for hospitals burdened under COVID-19 caseloads and additional funding for states and local governments straining as the economy slides into recession.They also want to make sure the Paycheck Protection Program is opened up more to businesses that don’t have established relationships with banks that have been accepting applications for rescue funding.Pelosi is pressing to add money to be distributed by community development financial institutions, which are small, nontraditional lenders that focus on making loans in underdeveloped and underserved neighborhoods, typically communities with larger minority populations.“We want to make sure that, as it gets more money, many more people get access to the credit,” Pelosi said.Eventually, the need for consensus seems likely to result in a relatively limited package.Republicans are agitating to help rural hospitals, while Democrats are also keen to boost aid to cash-strapped states and local governments whose revenues have cratered. Aiding the states may be a stretch for now, however, as the issue can easily provoke fights between large, high-tax states like California and New York and smaller states more typically run by Republicans.

Coronavirus Update