Governor tests negative; Kansas COVID-19 cases jump past 30K

Governor tests negative; Kansas COVID-19 cases jump past 30K

SeattlePI.com

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly tested negative for the coronavirus Friday as a Republican legislative leader faced criticism from some Democrats for not telling colleagues until this week that he’d been infected and hospitalized before he, Kelly and other top lawmakers had a public meeting last month.

Fellow Republican leaders defended House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., saying he took more than adequate precautions to prevent spreading the virus after learning he might have it July 10 and had been cleared by a doctor before attending a meeting with Kelly on July 29 at the Statehouse. They also accused the Democratic governor of politicizing his case.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat, said also he would get tested, adding that the House speaker “can’t be trusted.” Kelly has called Ryckman’s attendance at the July 29 meeting “reckless and dangerous.” Ryckman informed fellow House Republicans of his positive test in a Thursday email.

The dispute played out as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported an additional 921 coronavirus cases since Wednesday, an increase of 3.1% to bring the total number of confirmed and probable cases for the pandemic to 30,638. The health department also reported 12 additional COVID-19-related deaths, an increase of 3.3%, to bring the total to 380.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

“People just need to be careful,” said Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Wichita-area Republican who participated in the July 29 meeting by phone. “I made a decision early to wear a mask and made that decision because I wanted to protect the people around me.”

Ryckman is the highest-ranking Kansas official known...

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