Independence mayor declares state of emergency to prepare for coronavirus risk
Although the city has no known cases of the coronavirus disease, Independence Mayor Eileen Weir on Thursday declared a state of emergency to prepare for a possible risk to public health and safety, according to a news release from the city.
“We have detailed emergency plans in place for each of our departments and with this declaration these emergency operation plans have been activated,” Weir said in the written statement. “We will make a detailed announcement tomorrow with the changes citizens and the public will see to City services and operations.”
Weir called a special council meeting for 6 p.m. Friday.
Earlier in the day, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced a state of emergency, forcing all events with more than 1,000 people to cancel and halting non-essential travel for city employees. The order did not apply to schools.
“At this time there are no known cases of COVID-19 in the Independence area,” said Christina Heinen, the city manager’s designee as health director. “However, we urge citizens to take necessary precautions to keep themselves and their families healthy.”
Those precautions include regular hand washing, avoiding large events especially if among the vulnerable population, and staying home when sick.
Independence has gathered information on a website from the city, Missouri and the federal Centers for Disease Control about the coronavirus. It can be found at http://www.ci.independence.mo.us/fire/emergencyPreparedness/Coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 3:07 PM.
