Wichita mayor Brandon Whipple says this is a critical time to continue practices to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.   He said the number of cases is expected to rise, especially as more testing becomes available to identify cases.

The mayor believes stay-at-home and social distancing practices have been successful and the community is taking the situation seriously.    He said health experts are expecting the COVID-19 virus to peak in the next month, and now is not the time to give up on social distancing.   The mayor said he is talking with police chief Gordon Ramsay about educating people who are not following guidelines for public gatherings and activities.

Whipple said the city is also working with Sedgwick County and local agencies to help the homeless community, and he said the city is evaluating facilities that could be used to house homeless people if they become sick with the virus.  He said the former downtown library is one possibility, but that is still being discussed.    He said the city will continue to look at using city resources in innovative ways, such as the use of Century II as a decontamination center for emergency vehicles.

The mayor also said city employees have pooled vacation and sick time to help around 300 city workers who have been furloughed during the outbreak.  He said because of that, the furloughed employees will be paid during the next 30 days.