As COVID-19 cases spike, Douglas County announces new limits on mass gatherings
As coronavirus cases spike across the region, Douglas County is increasing its limits on mass gatherings.
In a news release, Thursday, Lawrence Douglas County Public Health announced that gatherings would be limited to no more than 15 people. Previously, the county allowed gatherings as large as 45 people.
The rule will go into effect on Friday.
The limitation, the release said, comes after the county’s average number of new cases per day increased from 17.5 in mid October to 44 by Thursday.
The county’s average positivity rate is 13.8%.
“We believe this spike is due to people letting their guards down with lapses in mask wearing, attending social gatherings that allow for transmission of COVID-19, and people who are experiencing symptoms being out in public instead of self-isolating to reduce chances for exposing others,” Thomas Marcellino, the county’s health officer, said.
Despite the increase, the health department said Thursday it would still allow Douglas County schools to operate on a hybrid model.
The spikes in Douglas County mirror trends across the Kansas City region.
The Kansas City metropolitan area’s seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases is 1,015. Two weeks ago, it was 455.
In a news briefing Thursday Steve Stites, the chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health System, said the region is experiencing “uncontrolled spread.”
The hospital system, he said, has begun postponing scheduled surgeries because of the increasing number of COVID-19 patients.
The Star’s Katie Moore contributed to this report.
