Health experts call for COVID-19 rules. Kansas City mayor might start them next week
Kansas City will likely issue new COVID-19 restrictions next week, Mayor Quinton Lucas said Friday after health officials urged new limits for restaurants and gatherings.
Public health directors from across the metro earlier in the day called for elected officials to close restaurants early and limit group gatherings as COVID-19 cases have surged for weeks.
“I do plan to not only incorporate a number of their recommendations into our next order, but also probably have further conversation with our medical professionals on other things we might be able to do to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Lucas said.
Lucas didn’t detail what specifically would be included in the order, but said he plans to speak with regional leaders in hopes of reaching an agreement on what steps to take.
“If we cannot, then Kansas City, Missouri, would likely still be acting because these issues are too important for us to not take some action now,” Lucas said.
In Johnson County, officials spent the afternoon debating the recommendations, but as evening approached they had reached no decision.
Health experts have declared the metro has entered “uncontrolled spread.” The coalition of public health officials said that spread poses a threat to the community, including schoolchildren, and may force hospitals to ration care.
They said they understand a stay-at-home order could harm the local economy.
“However, COVID-19 transmission cannot continue to rage out of control in our community given the severe strain on our health and medical systems,” they wrote.
If the Kansas City metro fails to implement the suggested restrictions — and if individuals don’t step up to do their part — leaders of several area hospitals said Friday that they fear the worst.
“We have to do that or we’re going to have a real crisis on our hands,” Steve Stites, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Health System, said at a group briefing for the media via Zoom hours after the health directors issued their recommendations.
If cases continue to rise and health care workers must quarantine, hospitals may not be able to handle the load, he said.
“What we’re seeing now is what we’ve always been afraid of,” Stites said.
The call to action was signed by health directors in Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.
Together, they urged area elected leaders to take a series of steps including:
▪ Continuing mask mandates for all activities outside the home and broadening enforcement
▪ Limiting in-person gatherings
▪ Requiring bars and restaurants to close by 10 p.m. and/or imposing occupancy limits for both indoor and outdoor dining
▪ Limiting outdoor and indoor entertainment
▪ Limiting attendees and imposing social distancing requirements on recreational and youth sports
▪ Requiring businesses and organizations to ensure social distancing.
If the cases continue to rise and hospital capacity shrinks, “additional action may be warranted,” the group said, noting that Thanksgiving gatherings will pose even more risk.
“We fear looking at trends that the actions listed above may not be sufficient,” they wrote.
The hospital leaders said the community needs to a better job following infection prevention guidelines, such as mask wearing and maintaining physical distance.
“We are frightened about what’s going to happen with Thanksgiving and Christmas unless something changes,” Stites said.
Two main concerns are driving the hospital leaders: hospital beds and staffing, as cases surge and workers must quarantine because of community spread.
Elizabeth Long, Olathe Medical Center’s acting chief medical officer, said their number of COVID-19 patients doubled over the last two weeks.
“We are bulging at the seams,” Long said.
James L. Stewart, the chief medical officer at North Kansas City Hospital, explained the 10 p.m. restriction on bars and restaurants: The later it gets, people tend to act less responsibly.
“There’s nothing magic about 10 o’clock,” Stewart said. “It’s the behaviors that change that make the difference.”
At a special meeting called Friday afternoon, Johnson County Health Officer Joseph LeMaster proposed implementing new restrictions on gatherings, as well as a curfew on restaurants and bars. But the Johnson County Board of Commissioners must approve the proposal, and they discussed rolling back some of the limits.
Officials discussed a 50-person limit on mass gatherings and an 11 p.m. curfew for restaurants and bars. But several businesses would be exempt from the gathering limit, including retailers, restaurants, bars, fitness centers, health care facilities and funeral homes. Religious institutions would be exempt from the entire order.
The order also would require businesses to enforce social distancing, and it reaffirms the county’s mask mandate.
The metro’s seven-day average of cases is now at 1,023. A week ago, that number was 739, and two weeks ago it was 497.
The public health directors recommended individuals take the following actions: avoid in-person interactions, work from home whenever possible, wear masks everywhere, avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, self-quarantine after attending a large gathering or traveling, wash your hands and social distance.
“We urge everyone to take these steps now to give us a chance to avoid more drastic orders. Do it for your community, for your friends and for your family.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 1:07 PM.
