Mayor Lucas to introduce new mask mandate for Kansas City schools as COVID cases climb

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is asking the city council to reinstate a mask mandate for all K-12 schools in the city.

Lucas plans to introduce the ordinance during Thursday’s city council meeting, according to the mayor’s spokeswoman.

In a letter to his colleagues Thursday, Lucas noted that North Kansas City extended its mandate earlier this week.

“When the school mask rule expired over one month ago, we found ourselves in a different trajectory as it relates to case numbers,” he wrote. “At our schools now, teachers, staff, bus drivers, and students are being impacted deeply by COVID, leading to concern that schools may need to move back to virtual learning if mitigation strategies are not pursued—something none of us wish to see.”

If the ordinance passes, the mask requirement will go into place beginning at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. It will be set to expire on Feb. 3.

The ordinance would apply to public and private schools, though some religious exemptions exist.

On Tuesday, the average number of new COVID-19 cases in Kansas City metro reached a record high, with a seven-day average topping 2,100 per day, according to data maintained by The Star. The region has now seen more than a quarter of a million total cases since the pandemic began.

This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 12:52 PM.