Worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 virus affects Leavenworth area In 2020, COVID-19 pandemic changed the way of life for many Americans. Leavenworth residents learned new technology to attend church, meetings or other social gatherings online. In March 2020, the Leavenworth County Health Department began collecting data for COVID-19 in Leavenworth. As of Sept. 2, Leavenworth County had 1,677 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths, which includes two major outbreaks of the disease at Lansing State Correctional Facility and the Grossman Center. There have been 377 cases in the City of Leavenworth so far that do not include these clusters. According to the Centers for Disease Control, people with COVID-19 have had
a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache New loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.
Be cautious about trusting information online about the pandemic. Here are accurate sources for information: Leavenworth County Health Department - www.leavenworthcounty.gov Kansas Department of Health and Environment - https://www.kdheks.gov/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - https://www.cdc.gov/
The Centers for Disease Control recommend the following to prevent the spread of disease: Stay home as much as possible. Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water is not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Distance yourself from others when in public, especially if you are a senior or have a medical condition that puts you in a high-risk category. Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth mask when in public. Cover coughs and sneezes with an elbow or tissue. Throw the used tissue away and immediately wash your hands. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily -- including phones, keyboards, doorknobs, handles and light switches – with an EPA-registered disinfectant.
Leavenworth city government began re-opening services in June From the beginning of the pandemic in March, the City took health officials’ warnings seriously. Here’s how your local government responded: - Trash pickup never ceased. - Fire and police operations never ceased. - Major road and stormwater construction projects continued. - Minor street repair and street striping continued. -City Hall was closed from March to June. Portions of the building are still closed to the public. While employees worked continuously throughout the pandemic, many were able to work from home. Members of the public were able to access city services online and over the phone. - Animal Control closed from March to June. The facility remains closed for the once-a-month pet adoptions. Throughout the closure, staff made accommodations to work with pet owners’ whose animals had gone missing and were picked up. - The Riverfront Community Center was closed from March to June. Many
Parks and Recreation programs had to be cancelled. Parks staff attended several trainings and informational sessions about health, fitness and exercise during COVID-19. Using this information, staff were able to safely open the Riverfront Community Center with some limitations in June. - Parks operations including mowing continued. Playgrounds were closed for a brief period in the spring. Staff have placed signs with the intent to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 at all Leavenworth playgrounds and shelters. - Wollman Aquatic Center remained closed to the public in 2020. This was done to prevent large gatherings of people and also to protect city staff, lifeguards and hourly employees. - The Recycling Center closed for a few weeks and was re-opened. - Your Leavenworth Fire Department continued to train and obtained new protective equipment for responding to medical emergencies. They gave out more than 12,500 masks in late summer and fall to the general public. - Public events such as the Saint
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In 2020, the City had to close its meetings to public attendance, however, meetings continued to stream live online and on Channel 2. They are available on the City’s YouTube channel. Meetings resumed with mandatory face masks in July. Members of the public who would like to provide public testimony should use instructions published on our agendas. Agendas are published before each Tuesday meeting on Friday afternoon. Those wishing to provide comment can contact our City Clerk’s office, cwilliamson@firstcity.org.
Patrick’s Day Parade, Leavenworth Main Street’s summer concert series and many others were canceled out of safety requirements with the advice of the Leavenworth County Health Department.
