Cowley County Community College campus in Ark City. (Photo by Brady Bauman)
Cowley College will require masks at all campus locations starting Monday, according to a press release.
“In an effort to advance a culture of wellness while mitigating the spread of COVID-19 on a Cowley College campus or location, all students, staff, faculty, and campus guests will be required to wear face coverings while on College property effective July 20, 2020,” the press release stated. “Face coverings may be in the form of masks, scarfs, face-shields, etc. so the spread of infectious disease is mitigated.
“The effectiveness of face coverings is furthered by maintaining social distancing and practicing good hygiene.”
College employees will not need to wear a face covering in their typical work area while not directly interacting with the public in face-to-face exchanges, the college said.
Individuals who have medically documented reasons for not being able to wear face covering options will need to have the documentation on file with the College’s Office of Academic Affairs or Human Resources.
Students and/or employees who are engaged in a physically strenuous activity but are only in close proximity to those deemed a family unit will not need a face covering.
For example, athletic teams are deemed family units because the athletes spend a significant amount of their daily hours in close proximity, according to Cowley.
The full Cowley College COVID-19 Response Plan and all COVID-19 updates are available here.
The City of Winfield passed a mask ordinance within the city limits that took effect July 13.
The Cowley County Commission opted out of the governor’s mask order during a special meeting on July 3. So far, the City of Ark City has yet to address the governor’s mask order.
Cowley County now totals 96 cases of COVID-19 so far since the pandemic began, according to the City-Cowley County Health Department, with 20 considered currently active and 75 recovered.
Friday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 97 total cases for Cowley County.
An Ark City man who tested positive April 1 died a week later and remains the only death in the county connected to the virus.
So far, 2,169 people have been tested in the county since a national emergency proclamation was issued by the White House on March 13.
Cowley County has a population of 34,908 people as of July 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
KDHE said Friday that 21,965 cases have been confirmed across the state since the pandemic began, along with 1,453 hospitalizations, 299 deaths and 227,388 negative test results.
Sedgwick County is listed with 2,790 cases, Butler County with 124 cases and Sumner County with 58.
Kay County, Oklahoma, has now totaled 146 cases so far and deaths have risen to nine. Overall, the state of Oklahoma has recorded 25,056 cases and 451 deaths according to the latest data.
