Kansas mayor tests positive, says ‘very possible’ will wear mask in the future

The Scott City mayor has tested positive for COVID-19 and says he may have contracted the virus at a political event.

Mayor Everett Green said on Facebook that he tested positive earlier in the week. He said he possibly caught the virus during a July 18 event for Sen. Mary Jo Taylor, R-Stafford, who is running for re-election. Green said he didn’t wear a face mask before testing positive but it’s “very possible” he will after quarantine.

“Would a face mask of made a difference? There is no way to tell,” Green said. “ ... Since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve heard other people say, and I’ve said myself, that I didn’t know anybody personally who had the coronavirus. Well, now I do.”

The Scott County Health Department sent out a news release notifying people that they may have been exposed at the “Mary Jo Taylor Event.” Additionally, the release also said that three people who tested positive attended the Scott County Fair from July 15-18 while “symptomatic or pre-symptomatic.”

Scott County, which begins about 20 miles north of Garden City, has had 26 COVID-19 cases, according to the health department.

Green said he had what he thought were, and still might be, seasonal allergies for a few weeks. He lost his sense of smell and taste over the weekend.

“I think it is important that we realize that it is still very possible to catch and to spread the coronavirus in our community,” Green said. “Even now with this slight uptick in positive cases, it may be more important than it ever has been that we do the things we need to do to help prevent the spread.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 1:58 PM.