As Chiefs excitement draws crowds, KC Mayor Lucas asks fans to ‘celebrate responsibly’
As he watched TV news Sunday, Mayor Quinton Lucas saw that some Kansas City Chiefs fans celebrating the 22-17 win over the Cleveland Browns could have been better following mask and social distancing guidelines.
A huge Chiefs fan himself, Lucas said he understood the excitement. But he also expressed concern that crowds increase the risk of spreading COVID-19 across the metro area, which last week surpassed 1,500 coronavirus deaths.
Ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, he said, the city will touch base with its entertainment districts to make sure crowds next week don’t leave “a lot of people sick around the Super Bowl.”
“I’m not waking up on this holiday with a punitive thought in mind,” Lucas said Monday afternoon. “I do, however, want to make sure that we’re thinking safety as much as we can, and that’s the biggest issue for me.”
Some of the gatherings Lucas saw footage of occurred in typical watch party areas, such as bars and in downtown. Restaurants and bars in Kansas City and most surrounding counties have been limited to 50% of their normal operating capacity since mid-November.
Last week, Lucas announced Kansas City bars and restaurants can now stay open until midnight, easing the previous 10 p.m. curfew. The new rules created more consistency across the metro, he said.
The AFC Championship Game on Sunday will bring the Buffalo Bills to Kansas City with a trip to Super Bowl LV on the line.
It’s safer to watch outside than inside, Lucas reminded residents following the Chiefs’ win in the AFC Divisional round at Arrowhead Stadium. As is celebrating with people you already live with, as opposed to high-fiving strangers at a bar.
“We all have to celebrate responsibly,” Lucas said, adding that the city has “a lot more work to do as we fight COVID.”
Lucas spoke to The Star as health officials across the metro area reported an additional two virus-related deaths: one in Clay County and one in Wyandotte County.
With the additional deaths, the virus has now killed 1,554 residents and infected 125,514 to date in the region, which encompasses Kansas City and Jackson, Clay and Platte counties in Missouri, and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas.
Johnson County continues to outpace other parts of the region in the number of infections, with 39,005 cases and 533 deaths to date, according to data maintained by The Star.
Kansas City has suffered the second-highest number of deaths, at 382. At least 33,754 residents in the city have been infected.
Across Missouri, 438,840 residents to date have been infected, including 6,256 who have died. In the last seven days, the state’s positive test rate was 12.9%.
In Kansas, the virus has infected 259,822 residents and killed 3,525. The state’s monthly positive test rate was 10.7%.
Nationwide, the virus has infected at least 24 million people and killed more than 398,300, according to Johns Hopkins University.
