Johnson County limits gatherings, restaurant and bar hours to slow COVID-19 spread
After a meeting of nearly six hours, a divided Johnson County Board of Commissioners on Friday approved new limits on public gatherings, plus set a curfew on bars and restaurants, in an effort to slow the exponential rise in COVID-19 transmission.
But what the board approved, with a 4-3 vote, is a weaker version of an order proposed by Health Officer Joseph LeMaster, who warned that skyrocketing new cases are causing hospitals to reach capacity and school districts to return to online classes.
The order limits gatherings to 50 people, or 50% capacity of a venue, whichever is fewer. But the board voted to include broad exemptions — shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, fitness centers, health care facilities, churches and funeral homes. The restriction also does not apply to private gatherings.
And other businesses or organizations seeking to hold an event with more than 50 people can submit a plan, outlining safety protocols, to the county for approval.
The county also required bars, restaurants and other businesses that serve alcohol to close at midnight. Carryout, drive-thru and delivery services may continue past that time. The board chose a later limit than the 10 p.m. curfew proposed by LeMaster and public health directors across the Kansas City metro.
The new order also reaffirms the county’s mask mandate, plus requires most businesses to implement social distancing rules. It will be in place starting Monday through Jan. 31.
“It is not a stay-at-home order. It is not a lockdown. … This order does not close schools or prohibit sport events,” LeMaster said, explaining that he hopes setting some restrictions on gatherings and in-person dining will help avoid stricter mandates in the coming weeks.
“We must act now. We are going into a perfect storm and we must navigate it well,” he said.
Earlier on Friday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he would issue new COVID-19 restrictions in the coming week, following many of the recommendations from area health directors, but he did not give specifics.
During Johnson County’s lengthy meeting, dozens of residents — many not wearing masks — urged officials to not issue any restrictions, saying the county was stripping their freedoms. Several business owners also spoke, worried that the order would add further financial strain.
The board also heard from Larry Botts, chief medical officer at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, who warned that hospitals are reaching capacity and starting to turn down elective surgeries. The Kansas City region is reporting record hospitalizations, and health directors worry that hospitals will soon have to “ration care.”
Public health directors from across Kansas City on Friday called for elected officials to close restaurants early and limit group gatherings as COVID-19 cases have surged for weeks. 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.
While the county commissioners were meeting, the leaders of several hospitals held a press briefing affirming their support of the directors’ proposed restrictions.
“So many of our facilities have exceeded their capacity. At times, we’ve been holding patients in the emergency room because we had no staffed beds to take care of those patients,” Botts said. “The ones who have not exceeded their capacity, in the last couple of weeks, have been very close to capacity.”
He said AdventHealth is seeing around 33% more COVID-19 patients than it did at its highest spike in mid-July.
Commissioners also heard from Shawnee Mission school Superintendent Mike Fulton, who spoke on behalf of all six county districts. He warned that schools are being forced to return to online classes, as hundreds of students and staff members are exposed to the virus. Shawnee Mission officials said this week they might return to virtual classes due to staffing and substitute shortages.
Blue Valley on Friday, and Spring Hill earlier in the week, announced they would require older students to take online classes again by the end of the month.
“Cases are exploding,” Johnson County Chairman Ed Eilert said. “We all want to keep our schools open. We need to take action to assist in making the possibility that they will stay open.”
But the idea of new restrictions did not sit well with many in the audience. And commissioners Mike Brown, Steve Klika and Michael Ashcraft voted against the order. Johnson County’s economy has been open since late May. The mask order, which has been in place since July, has been the only restriction.
Allison Henry, owner of Hurricane Allie’s Bar & Grill in Merriam, pleaded for commissioners to not set a curfew on bars and restaurants.
“I had to lay off almost everybody during the shutdown. My employees have struggled, and it’s the holidays, and it’s hard for me to think about what’s going to happen to them,” she said.
Health officials have advocated for the earlier closing time, saying that the later it gets, people tend to act less responsibly.
While many residents and business owners said they were opposed to any mandates, some thanked the board for not shutting down the economy again or issuing capacity limits on small businesses.
After months of reporting high, yet stable transmission of the virus, Johnson County has seen an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks. On Thursday, the county reported a record daily increase of 458 cases.
The positivity rate — or number of positive cases over the past two weeks — was 15.4%. Last month, that rate was around 5.8%, said Sanmi Areola, public health director. As of Friday, there were 702 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days. This time last week, that incidence rate was 480 per 100,000 people.
Here are more highlights of the new Johnson County order:
▪ Businesses must require social distancing, with many exemptions. Hair and nail salons and other businesses that cannot operate with those measures may only serve customers by appointment.
▪ Restaurants and bars must separate tables by six feet, plus only allow eight people at a table.
▪ Fairs, festivals, carnivals, parades and similar events are not allowed.
▪ Recreational and youth sports are allowed. But attendance must be limited to a maximum of two attendees per participant. Social distancing and mass-gathering requirements apply.
▪ The following are exempt from the order: religious institutions, polling places, child care facilities, schools and courts.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 8:11 PM.
