If there’s a tornado in Kansas during the coronavirus pandemic, what should you do?

If meteorologists issue a tornado watch or warning near you this spring, should you avoid going to a community shelter because of the coronavirus pandemic?

State emergency authorities say no.

“Your first priority should be to protect yourself from a potential tornado,” Kansas Division of Emergency Management officials said Tuesday in a news release. “However, the decision to open a community shelter will ultimately be at the discretion of local officials.”

The tornado advice comes as the spring thunderstorm season arrives amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Laura Kelly has issued a statewide stay-at-home order with exceptions for “essential” activities. Taking shelter in a public gathering space during severe weather does not appear to be specifically exempted from the stay-at-home order. However, the governor said in a statement that people should still take shelter during a bad storm.

“We should not let fear of the coronavirus blind us to the danger of an imminent tornado,” Kelly said. “If you have to seek refuge in a community shelter, try to practice social distancing and other precautions as much as possible to minimize your risk.”

The coronavirus pandemic has yet to hit its peak.

So far, Sedgwick County has had 58 people test positive for COVID-19, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment data. Nine of the 428 people diagnosed with the disease in Kansas have died, including one in the Wichita area.

“Unfortunately, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people who rely on public sheltering from tornadoes could be faced with the difficult choice of sheltering from the tornado in a community shelter or refraining from going to the shelter in order to limit potential exposure to COVID-19,” KDEM officials said in the news release.

The first tornado of 2019 touched down April 17 in Sumner County, starting a tornado season that lasted into September, according to the 2020 Kansas Severe Weather Awareness information packet produced by the National Weather Service, the Kansas Emergency Management Association and KDEM.

The 89 tornadoes reported in the state last year was above the 70-year average, but below the 5-year average. May had the most tornadoes of any month. No tornadoes were reported in Sedgwick County in 2019, but Reno County had five, Butler County recorded three and Sumner County had two.

Nationwide, AccuWeather predicts a normal to slightly above normal number of tornadoes this year.

State emergency officials said that while the priority should be protecting people from tornadoes, the decision to open a community shelter will be left to local authorities. The state advises people to check in advance of a thunderstorm and before going to a shelter to make sure it is open — or to explore other options to stay safe from a tornado while limiting potential coronavirus exposure.

“The onset of tornado season is also a good time to take stock of your family’s emergency supplies and review your emergency plan,” Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, the adjutant general and KDEM director, said in a statement. “Above all, don’t let the threat of potential virus exposure outweigh the real threat of an approaching tornado.”