Platte County cuts COVID shutdown short. Only Kansas City, Jackson Co. have later date
Platte County will end its stay-at-home order early, leaving only Kansas City and Jackson County with longer shutdowns issued to combat the novel coronavirus.
Those areas had all issued stay-at-home orders through May 15. But Tuesday night, Platte County announced its order would expire at the end of the day May 3, joining Clay and Cass counties in Missouri. In Kansas, Johnson and Wyandotte counties are also hoping to end shutdowns then but have made no formal announcements.
Areas of Kansas City that lie in Clay, Cass and Platte counties are still subject to the May 15 date.
Stay-at-home orders went into effect across the metro last month to slow the spread of COVID-19, shutting down nonessential businesses, restricting restaurant service and sending most metro residents to shelter at home. Shutting down businesses has created economic hardship for many, and now elected officials are looking at when and how to reopen.
In its release, the Platte County Health Department says it has “observed a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days,” meaning it is ready to reopen businesses.
“Sufficient staff has been added to the Health Department to help with contact tracing,” the release says. “Access to testing has greatly improved in recent weeks. There has been added communication with hospitals in our area to ensure they are as prepared as can be for additional COVID-19 cases.”
The release says the new instructions “emphasize the importance of individual and corporate responsibility,” which mirrors language Missouri Gov. Mike Parson used to long resist issuing any statewide stay-at-home order. Parson’s order also ends at 11:59 p.m. May 3.
Businesses in Platte County that wish to reopen are expected to create a plan “outlining steps that will be taken to protect employees and customers.”
“Each business is also expected to display those mitigation measures on or near the entrance doors,” the release says. “Customers, based on what they see posted, can then make informed decisions about which businesses they wish to patronize.”
