COVID-19 news: KCPS vaccine policy, Missouri death toll, Kansas City mask extension
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
KCPS to staff: Get vaccine or take weekly test
Kansas City Public Schools will require all staff members to get one of the widely available COVID-19 vaccines, or agree to weekly testing.
District officials believe Kansas City is the first in the region and the state to issue such a requirement. Classes are scheduled to begin later this month.
Superintendent Mark Bedell said the district’s mandate is similar to Jackson County’s, which also requires staff to get vaccinated. He said district employees have a responsibility to meet the “social, emotional and academic needs of our students.”
“We have that responsibility. And for that, it is critical that we as a school district take a strong position,” he said.
Kansas City’s mask mandate extension proposed
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Thursday introduced an ordinance that would extend the city’s mask mandate to Sept. 23 with approval from the City Council.
Under the current order, in place since Aug. 2, most people over age 5 are required to wear masks when visiting indoor public spaces, with some exceptions. The city’s current order has an expiration date set under a new Missouri law effectively requiring re-authorization of health orders by the local governing body every 30 days.
Lucas says a majority of council members support the order.
Missouri reaches grim milestone
The number of Missouri residents who have died from COVID-19 has topped 10,000 as of Thursday, according to the state health department’s coronavirus dashboard.
The dashboard showed 20 new deaths, bringing the total to 10,002 since the pandemic began last year.
The areas with the highest number of deaths are St. Louis County with 1,960, Kansas City with 646, Greene County with 570, Jackson County with 517, St. Charles County with 488 and St. Louis City with 487, according state health officials.
A total of 2,417 people from the Kansas City metro area have died from the virus since the pandemic began.
The Star’s Bill Lukitsch, Sarah Ritter, Cortlynn Stark and Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.
