“Are you sick? … Have you been around anyone sick?”
In order to gain access to Tuesday’s commission meeting, attendees were required to pass through a checkpoint and answer screening questions on the north side of the courthouse.
Two deputies were present, and physically blocked the path of those requesting entry until they had answered appropriately.
Once inside, the hallways were dark, and many offices empty, which gave the scene a slight sense of ominousness.
After a minute or two, commissioners realized that meeting in their regular space would not be possible, given the number of people in attendance and the small amount of space between chairs.
The gathering was therefore moved downstairs, to where each individual seat had a halo of space surrounding it of more than six feet.
PUBLIC Works director Mitch Garner reported that “everybody’s working,” and that all road crews are out and functioning normally.
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is currently operating in an emergency capacity only.
“We could shut down if it wasn’t for all this rain,” said commissioner Bill King. “Public works are essential providers.”
Commissioner Bruce Symes suggested the possibility that all county meetings might have to move online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also said that due to hoarding and panic-buying, in order to maintain merely a normal level of supplies, he’d been advised that “as counties, we ought to get our hands on everything that we can get our hands on.”
“If this progresses, the shortage of supplies will not get any better. It will get worse,” he added. “So as a county we need to be cognizant about keeping our supplies up.”
Next followed a discussion of how the COVID-19 crisis is financially wounding local businesses, and whether there was anything the county might be able to do in response.
“We do have monies in the reserve, but we have it in reserve for a reason,” Symes said.
He suggested other options besides county assistance might be available, pointing to online campaigns like GoFundMe and other collective contribution measures.
The Kansas Department of Commerce had also set aside assistance funds, but according to Humboldt city administrator Cole Herder, those funds had already been depleted.
