Latest COVID-19 news: Missouri AG tells Kansas City parents that kids can ditch masks
READ MORE
Kansas City COVID-19 news
As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus surges across the Kansas City region, officials, hospitals and communities have had to react. Here is our latest coverage.
Expand All
Here’s the latest on COVID-19 in the Kansas City area:
COVID-19 cases in children jumped by 1,100% in Kansas City, health department says
COVID-19 cases in children under age 12 increased by 1,100% from June to August, according to the Kansas City Health Department.
In August, 606 children in Kansas City tested positive for the virus.
The health department urged people to get vaccinated and wear a mask. People over age 5 are required to wear masks in indoor public spaces in Kansas City until at least Sept. 23.
Children’s Mercy has seen COVID-19 cases in all ages of their patients including newborns, said Dr. Angela Myers, infectious diseases division director.
Are Kansas City area police officers getting vaccinated? Many departments don’t check
As frontline workers in frequent contact with the community, police officers were among the first in the country to get access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The early access was aimed to provide protection for the officers and the public.
But most of the largest police departments across the Kansas City metropolitan area are not requiring vaccinations of their officers. Many do not track their number of vaccinated employees.
The Star this week asked the departments representing the area’s 10 largest cities about their COVID-19 policies and statistics. Of the seven that responded, only the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department has a vaccine requirement. Three of the surveyed departments keep count of vaccinated employees.
Missouri AG tells KC parents they can disregard mask rules for kids
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt advised Kansas City and Jackson County parents Thursday that their children don’t have to follow mask mandates if they believe it will make them irritable or less happy.
Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, is effectively granting parents wide latitude to disregard the metro area’s mask rules when it comes to their children, part of his ongoing war against mandatory masking. The advice — which Schmitt called “legal direction” — comes as the area continues to grapple with elevated numbers of COVID-19 cases.
His message came in letters to Mayor Quinton Lucas and Jackson County Executive Frank White on Thursday, based largely on the meaning of the term legal direction. Both leaders swiftly criticized the letters and said they have no legal impact.
Employees University of Kansas Health System have until Dec. 1 to get a COVID shot
The University of Kansas Health System on Wednesday joined two other hospital systems in Kansas City in mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for employees.
Truman Medical Centers/University Health announced its employee mandate in late July. Saint Luke’s Health System announced a similar requirement on Monday.
They are taking the lead in a metro where most area businesses are hesitant to implement vaccine mandates for their employees, according to a new survey from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
Gov. Kelly announces task force on school COVID, nixes state mask mandates
Gov. Laura Kelly on Wednesday called on Kansans to protect school children from the coronavirus, but will likely not enact more widespread COVID-19 interventions such as a statewide mask mandate or limits on mass gatherings.
The governor appeared at a news conference in the children’s unit at Wesley Medical Center, where she announced the formation of a task force to advise her administration, local government and school districts on the growing issues of school transmission of COVID-19.
“We have to do everything in our power to protect our students, our teachers and our staff in schools,” Kelly said. “And that’s why today, in addition to celebrating the five-year anniversary of Wesley Children’s, I’m also here to announce a new Safer Classrooms Workgroup. We’re bringing together a group of highly skilled health professionals, pediatricians, family physicians, school nurses, pharmacists and psychologists.”
The Star’s Jonathan Shorman, Jeanne Kuang, Lisa Gutierrez, Dion Lefler, Katie Bernard and Bill Lukitsch contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 7:32 AM.
.jpg)
