COVID updates: Kelly blasts leaders for misinformation, quarantines prompt school masks
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
Kelly criticizes leaders spreading virus misinformation
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly begged residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 on Friday and condemned politicians who spread misinformation as she described a state health care system pushed to the brink.
“The campaign of misinformation is not limited to Facebook. There are people in positions of leadership, who hold influence, who have used COVID and politics to divide us,” said Kelly, a Democrat. “I want those who are weaponizing this misinformation to know your actions don’t hurt me.”
“Your actions hurt your neighbors with pre-existing conditions … your actions hurt your local businesses … your actions are hurting our teachers, who have to risk their safety every day because their students are not wearing masks.”
Quarantines prompt mask mandate in KC area school district
Raymore-Peculiar students don’t return to classrooms until Monday, but the district has already reported enough quarantines due to COVID-19 exposures that officials decided Friday to mandate masks.
The district in Cass County was one of the last major systems in the immediate Kansas City metro that planned to keep masks optional this fall. On Aug. 10, the school board voted 5-2 to only recommend, not mandate, masks.
But this past week, the district brought staff and some students into buildings for back-to-school events, such as a “meet the teacher” night. After more than two hours of activities, Superintendent Mike Slagle said 17 students were required to quarantine after being exposed to the virus without wearing masks.
Florida Georgia Line cancels concert
County music duo Florida Georgia Line has canceled its Oct. 30 concert at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center, which was one of the stops on the group’s Love My Country Tour.
The ongoing spread of COVID-19 was named as the group’s decision to cancel the show. In a statement, the group said: “It’s unfortunate that we have to cancel, but we hope y’all understand.”
The tour was scheduled to begin next month in Atlanta and span 29 cities.
The Star’s Bill Lukitsch, Dan Kelly, Sarah Ritter and Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 21, 2021 at 8:52 AM.
