COVID-19 news: Parts of Kansas, Missouri reopen as outbreaks grow, deaths reported
Parts of Kansas and Missouri reopened Monday as statewide stay-at-home orders expired.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson toured communities where local governments have allowed most non-essential businesses to reopen.
Parson, along with First Lady Teresa Parson, started Monday morning by visiting two Joplin businesses, CDL Electric Company, an electrical contractor, and Red Racks Thrift Store.
“Teresa and I visited CDL Electric Company to talk with staff about the adjustments the company made during the shutdown as an essential business and what safety measures are in place to help keep employees and customers safe,” Parson tweeted.
With the order ending Sunday, occupancy limits remain in place, but distancing measures have been relaxed for employees who can’t perform their jobs without staying close to customers. A majority of state offices have reopened.
Missouri municipalities that have emerged as coronavirus hotspots can require stricter provisions to limit the disease’s spread.
In Kansas City, some businesses will be able to reopen with stringent measures starting Wednesday. Gyms, bars, movie theaters, playgrounds and in-person dining will remain shuttered until at least May 15.
In St. Joseph, an outbreak at a food plant has grown to 373 workers. The Triumph Foods employees were asymptomatic, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Missouri has confirmed 8,386 cases, including 352 deaths.
The Kansas City metropolitan area — encompassing Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas — reported 2,384 cases as of Sunday.
The shutdown order in Kansas also expired Sunday night.
Orders in Johnson and Wyandotte counties remain in effect until May 11.
The Johnson County Health Department reported three more COVID-19 deaths. The county has had 503 cases, including 45 deaths.
Wyandotte County said they had 33 more cases, bringing its total to 859, including 55 deaths.
On Monday morning, the Kansas Department of Corrections reported a coronavirus case at a sixth facility. A staff member at Ellsworth Correctional Facility has tested positive for COVID-19.
Cases have also been found at Topeka Correctional Facility, Wichita Work Release Facility, Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex, El Dorado Correctional Facility and Lansing Correctional Facility. At Lansing, 86 staff and 250 residents have been infected.
Kansas reported 5,245 cases, including 136 deaths.
Nationwide, more than 1.1 million cases have been reported, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 12:55 PM.
