Wichita mayor, 3 council members are in self-quarantine

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple and three City Council members have quarantined themselves after being told two people at a conference they attended last week have the coronavirus.

Whipple and council members Becky Tuttle, James Clendenin and Brandon Johnson attended the National League of Cities conference in Washington D.C. The group informed attendees on Tuesday that two people who tested positive for the virus were active participants at the conference.

Whipple said he feels fine but that he will work from home for the time being “out of an abundance of caution.”

Six members of the city council in Kansas City, Missouri, self-quarantined earlier this week after attending the same conference.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.

Whipple said he and the council members don't know if they interacted with the two people who are infected. They are awaiting advice from Sedgwick County health officials before returning to City Hall, The Wichita Eagle reported.

Two more positive cases were reported late Wednesday in Morris County in eastern Kansas. The county health department said the two Council Grove residents who recently traveled to the Caribbean tested positive. Information on the residents' conditions was not released. The two cases raised the state's count of confirmed cases to 23.

The spread of the virus prompted Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to announce Wednesday that it was suspending operations at its U.S. manufacturing plants, including a distribution center in Topeka that employs about 1,550 workers. The closure will continue at least through April 3.

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