HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County is still providing an 800 number and a new email address to provide an avenue for the general public to ask questions regarding COVID-19, or even report violations or concerns regarding the different phases of the state’s reopening plan.
“We have a specific email address that’s called [email protected],” Health Department Director Nick Baldetti said. “We’d like people to email those as well so we can triage not only those questions but also potentially complaints, or heads up, if you will.”
Baldetti says they have staff on standby to take those calls or email questions.
“Locally we have a team of five that are designated for responding to the 1-800 number and the public COVID email address,” Baldetti said. “We also have an overflow of a department that is on standby should the inquiries become so much that five can’t handle it.”
The Health Department hopes that violations can first be addressed on an educational basis.
“If we get a heads up that someone is not in compliance, first we’re going to vet to ensure that . . . they are not in compliance,” Baldetti stressed. “Then if they're not in compliance . . . what we’ll most likely do is contact the sheriff’s department or the Hutch PD in consultation with the district attorney’s office.”
Any action taken against a group that may want to defy the state orders for gatherings ultimately falls to the district attorney’s office.
“If we send law enforcement out and they decide to not abide, and not disperse, then it’s the teeth of the DA’s office that is essentially going to fall on any kind of movement that we have,” Baldetti said. “We’ll try as peacefully as possible to simply have a cease and desist, but if we think there’s a real public health concern with whatever actions are being taken outside of that, then we’ll probably level further action.”
The phone number is 1-844-834-3658 and the email address is [email protected].