COVID-19 news: ‘Dehumanizing’ myths, WyCo vaccine policy, KC mask extension advances
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
Myths about migrants are false: experts
As some racist rhetoric circulates in Kansas City and other parts of the country, public health experts maintain there is no correlation between Mexican migrants coming across the southern border and the latest surge of COVID-19 cases.
But such messages have still popped up, the most recent local example being at Doughboys, a doughnut shop in Raytown, which put a sign up in the window that read, “Stop importing COVID from Mexico unmask truth.”
The owner of the shop, Marjain Breitenbach, later changed the sign to read, “Stop importing COVID through border unmask truth.”
“First and foremost, it’s dehumanizing us. It’s dehumanizing us as people,” said Karla Juarez, executive director of Advocates for Immigrants Rights and Reconciliation. “It is attacking a certain group of people and blaming that group of people for the latest COVID surge.”
KC mask mandate extension advances
During a committee hearing Wednesday night, Kansas City leaders advanced a 30-day extension of the existing mask mandate, which would push it to Sept. 23.
The city has been under a mask mandate since Aug. 2. At Wednesday night’s meeting, acting public health director Frank Thompson presented projections showing vaccination rates may not reach desired levels until December.
The full Kansas City Council will take up the extension Thursday. It is expected to easily pass.
New vaccine policy for Wyandotte County employees
Employees of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas will be required to either receive the COVID-19 vaccine or take weekly tests for the virus under a new policy.
Citing the area’s lagging vaccination rates and the latest surge through the region, Unified Government County Administrator Doug Bach announced the directive in a news release Wednesday. The new policy takes effect Sept. 6.
Jackson County, Johnson County and Kansas City have all put similar policies in place in response to the latest rise of COVID-19.
The Star’s Aaron Torres, Cortlynn Stark and Bill Lukitsch contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 7:24 AM.
