Gov. Laura Kelly and legislators on the State Finance Council avoided political fireworks Wednesday to authorize extension until Nov. 15 of the statewide disaster declaration instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. An official declaration is necessary to sustain work of state agencies collaborating with counties to deliver personal protective equipment, operate a 65,000-meal per day food pantry, support temporary housing and transport testing materials. Lack of a declaration could impede the state’s ability to handle 870,000 test kits scheduled to be sent to Kansas by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said Kansas National Guard Maj. Gen. David Weishaar.
Source: Kansas Reflector