Jackson County executive recommends extending mask order another 30 days
Jackson County legislators on Monday will consider extending the county’s health order mandating the wearing of masks in indoor public places for another 30 days, according to the meeting’s agenda.
Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. on Monday, in consultation with Jackson County Health Department Director Bridgette Shaffer and Emergency Management Coordinator Troy Schulte, recommended that the health order be extended.
A majority support of the legislature is required to extend the order, which is currently set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. Jackson County reinstated its current mask order in early August and legislators voted 6-3 on Aug. 30 to extend the order.
“While the data shows we are slowly making progress to limit spread of the virus, we are not yet out of the woods,” White said in a news release. “Based on CDC guidance, which we have relied upon throughout the pandemic to implement our response, we must continue wearing masks indoors because they work.
“We’ve seen, for nearly 60 days, that mask-wearing has been an effective approach in protecting our neighbors from contracting the virus. We are hopeful that keeping the order in place for 30 more days will make our community safer, allowing us to reevaluate and move forward accordingly.”
White also continued to encourage all those eligible to get vaccinated.
County officials met with area superintendents last week and they voiced their support for the county extending its mask mandate due to the high levels of COVID-related hospital admissions and associated staffing shortages. The strain has limited the number of available ICU and non-ICU beds and forced facilities to enter periods of diversion.
Jackson County reinstated its current mask order in early August as the highly contagious coronavirus delta variant drove up cases and hospitalizations. Jackson County legislators voted 6-3 on Aug. 30 to extend the health order until Oct. 7.
The order required everyone ages 5 and up to wear a face covering when visiting indoor public spaces, with some exceptions, including medical exemptions or removing the masks while dining.
The restrictions applied only to rural parts of the county and cities other than Kansas City and Independence, which have their own health departments that set the rules.
Kansas City imposed a citywide mask order in mid-August and recently extended it until Thursday.
“Due to the selfless efforts of the Jackson County community, we have made progress in reversing the trend of overall infections, hospitalizations and unnecessary deaths,” said Jackson County Health Department Director Bridgette Shaffer.
“Unfortunately, we continue to face a high level of community transmission and our hospitals are still under significant strain. We are recommending a 30-day extension of the county’s mask mandate at this time to further diminish COVID-19’s presence in our community and to protect those who are most vulnerable.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 10:26 AM.
