Arkansas City is joining other partners in Cowley County in a public health awareness campaign, “Crushing COVID in Cowley County.” It is a joint collaboration of the cities of Arkansas City and Winfield, the City-Cowley County Health Department, the Community Health Center in Cowley County, Cowley County, Cowley County Emergency Communications, Cowley County Emergency Management, Cowley First, Legacy Foundation, RISE Cowley, South Central Kansas Medical Center, Southwestern College, USD 465, USD 470, William Newton Hospital, and the Winfield and Arkansas City area chambers of commerce. “The central theme of ‘Crushing COVID’ is that it is ‘Up to You,'” said Mayor Karen Welch. “We cannot do this as government alone. We need each and every Arkansas City resident to voluntarily do what they can to slow the spread of COVID. Only together can we keep our teachers healthy and put our kids back in school classrooms, keep our businesses open, and prevent our local and regional hospitals from overflowing, not to mention protect our vulnerable neighbors from severe disease or even death.”
Source: KSN-TV

Beginning Wednesday, Nov. 25, all Wichita Public Library locations will go back to offering only curbside and drive-up window services. The decision was made by library staff due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Wichita and Sedgwick County. Customers will still be able to borrow materials from the Library by using the online catalog, catalog.wichitalibrary.org, to browse the collection and place holds on items. Hold and transfer fees will be waived at this time. Once materials are ready to be picked up, customers will receive a notification to retrieve materials. Customers will arrive at their designated branch, call the phone number on the signs in the parking lot, and staff will assist with their curbside pickup.
Source: KSN-TV

USD 457 Garden City Public Schools will transition all students to Level 6 ‐ Remote Learning beginning on Monday, Nov. 23. All learning will continue remotely at‐home for all students through December 22, 2020. The district said in a letter that the community is experiencing a high rate of COVID and it has impacted many families and staff members in the district. The district said they had shortages of teachers, paraeducators, nursing staff, custodians, bus drivers, food service workers, and administrators due to COVID-related absences. The district said they have been able to complete 10 weeks of on‐site classes and two weeks of hybrid classes.
Source: KSN-TV