TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Agencies across Kansas are taking steps to proactively prevent coronavirus. The Kansas Department of Corrections is one of those groups taking the virus seriously.

That’s good news for Kansans because it’s taxpayers who would be on the hook for medical bills in the case of an outbreak.

In prisons, where inmates are sharing a close confined space, an infectious virus could be dangerous.

The department’s Director of Public Affairs, Randy Bowman, said they’re keeping that in mind.

“Everybody in the world seems to be paying attention to this and has the concern it could really grow into something. So we need to be at the front end of that as well as an organization to protect our inmate population and our staff population as well as we can,” Bowman said.

They sent out memos to corrections officers and other staff about practicing good hygiene and not coming to work if they’re sick. They’ve also been reminding family and friends of prisoners of those same tips if they plan to visit.

If there’s an outbreak in a Kansas prison it could be bad for both inmates and taxpayers.

“We’ll have to provide medical care for these folks when they’re in our facilities, there is no doubt about that,” Bowman said. “We have a contractor that does that work for us and they’re part of our preparedness process as well. We’ll do the care that needs to be provided.”

For now, they said all they can do is work to be proactive.

“It will come if it’s going to come and we need to be prepared for it,” Bowman said.

Corrections officials are staying updated by following the Kansas Health Department’s coronavirus page. Health experts say that’s the best place for you to get information about the virus as well.