COVID-19 news: Kansans who went to Lake of the Ozarks cautioned; KC building delayed

Kansans who visited Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend should self-quarantine for 14 days after they return home, the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment said Tuesday in a news release.

The recommendation was issued after videos over the weekend showed large crowds at pool parties alongside the Missouri lake, which is a regional tourist destination. Many people seen in the videos were ignoring social distancing rules and guidelines issued to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

While travelers are asked to quarantine, the region is not being added to the state’s list of areas where quarantine for travelers is mandated. That list currently includes cruises and international travel as well as New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maryland.

A similar advisory was issued in St. Louis County, though Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said Monday he didn’t plan to “issue a quarantine order we simply cannot enforce.”

In a tweet late Monday, Kansas City Health Director Rex Archer said anyone who didn’t practice the social distancing guidelines while at the Lake of the Ozarks should self-quarantine for 14 days if they have any compassion for others.

Uncertain development

Companies that might otherwise bring jobs to Kansas City are passing us up because we don’t have enough high-end office space ready on demand.

That was the pitch from developers and supporters of the 25-story $133 million Strata office tower expected to be built at 13th and Main streets in the heart of downtown. It’s the first office tower of its type in nearly 30 years — one built speculatively for multiple tenants rather than one company’s headquarters. Developers expected to start construction this year.

But the spread of the coroanvirus and its chilling effect on economic growth are slowing things down, said Jon Copaken, principal at Copaken Brooks. His firm partnered with Jury & Associates and H&R Block to build the tower, which was awarded significant public incentives.

“We’re still pushing as hard as we can,” Copaken said. “If you look at the decision-making uncertainty in the environment right now, it’s got to cause some delays no matter how hard we’re working.”

Now, construction is expected to start in the first half of 2021.

Parents fear doctor’s visits

Dr. Corey Iqbal rarely operates on a child whose appendix has gotten so bad that it has ruptured.

But he is seeing more than usual lately — four acute appendectomies within about a week recently. And, “there is definitely a common theme among the parents,” he said:

They didn’t want to take their kids “to the hospital where there could potentially be people with coronavirus,” said Iqbal, medical director of pediatric surgery at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

While the coronavirus is not considered a direct threat to children, pediatricians in the Kansas City area and nationwide report that it is taking a toll in other ways.

Parents have avoided the doctor’s office and ER, they say, a situation similar to adults ignoring signs of heart attacks and strokes because they fear going to the hospital during a pandemic.

Children are missing vaccinations and well visits. In some instances, parents are not taking kids in quickly enough for emergency attention.