Wallace County is at the western edge of Kansas, on the border with Colorado. It’s the second-least populated county in the state, and for the first half of 2020, life here maintained a sense of normalcy while the rest of world dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, businesses closed in March and stay-at-home orders went into effect, just like the rest of the state. But by summer, many in Wallace County, population about 1,500, felt it unnecessary to take more severe precautions. Officials voted against enforcing the statewide mask order. Riders competed in an amateur rodeo and the annual county fair went off without a hitch. The local pool even opened. Social distancing is a way of life, with about one square mile for every two residents. So, it may have come as a shock when the first case of coronavirus was finally reported on Aug. 20. About a month later, that number has grown to 17.
Source: KSN-TV
