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A Kansas police officer died from COVID-19 complications on December 28, 2021, as high case numbers prompted officials in the Douglas County—the 5th most populated county in the state—to mull imposing a local mask mandate.
Officer Brian Rousseau, 46, had served as a patrol officer since 2018 for North Newton, a city of about 1,800 people located roughly 30 miles north of Wichita. Previously, he worked nearly 18 years with the Newton Police Department and held several roles on the Harvey County Emergency Response Team, according to the city's Facebook page.
"Brian was very dedicated to the profession. He was the kind of officer that if things went bad, you would want him beside you," North Newton Police Chief Randy Jordan said. "He was a joy to be around in the office – a great sense of humor and a genuine love for life. We lost a terrific officer and a terrific person today."
He left behind a wife and two children, the North Newton Facebook page said in a post.
"Brian was an exemplary employee, but more so than that, a wonderful person to be around," said North Newton City Administrator Kyle Fiedler. "Serving the community was immensely important to Brian, and our community will miss him greatly."
Meanwhile, Douglas County health officials are weighing whether to enact a new mask mandate mere days after one for children expired. The county, which houses the main University of Kansas campus, has reported at least a dozen cases of the Omicron variant, according to KETV.
Health department director Dan Partridge, the county administrator and the local health system's CEO are slated to meet next week to speak with health professionals and the county's public health officer, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. Partridge said that the mask mandate issue is expected to be brought up.
The delta variant has spread across the state, and 25 cases of the omicron variant have been reported in 10 of the state's 105 counties.
The elected Douglas County Commission would decide whether to impose the mandate. Partridge said the earliest that health officials would present a recommendation would be January 12.
The county kept a requirement that children ages 2 through 11 wear masks in public spaces in place until December 22.
State health department data shows that Kansas has averaged 1,685 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, 43 new hospitalizations and 10 additional deaths a day this month, through Monday. The state reported 6,964 total deaths as of Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the writer
Zoe Strozewski is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and global politics. Zoe ... Read more