First death from coronavirus in Kansas City area reported in Wyandotte County
The Kansas City area’s first death from the coronavirus was announced Thursday night by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. A male in his 70s who lived in a long-term care facility died in Wyandotte County, she said.
The announcement came hours after Mayor David Alvey of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, had told residents they did not have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county.
No cases of the respiratory illness have been confirmed in Kansas City, but three new cases were identified earlier Thursday in Johnson County. In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson announced the state’s second “presumptive positive” case, found in Greene County.
Rapidly evolving concerns over the spread of the coronavirus in Kansas City prompted officials on Thursday to declare a state of emergency as staple March events including the Big 12 tournament and the St. Patrick’s Day parade were called off.
Gatherings of more than 1,000 people are prohibited under the emergency declaration, which is in effect for an initial period of 21 days, Mayor Quinton Lucas announced.
“Protecting all of our residents remains our top priority, which means that how we interact over the weeks and months ahead will need to change dramatically as we confront our current public health challenge,” Lucas said.
Dozens of events across the region were canceled, as libraries, theaters and schools altered their schedules to avoid congregating large crowds. Those measures have been promoted by public health officials to stop or slow the spread of the virus.
“Everyone has a role to play in reducing the spread of this virus in our community, including practicing preventative measures like covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, staying home when you are sick, and avoiding touching your face,” said Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat who lives in Johnson County.
More than 1,200 people in the U.S. have contracted the virus and more than 35 people have died, according to the Associated Press.
Globally, there have been more than 127,000 cases across 110 countries.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization designated the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic and President Donald Trump announced that most travelers from Europe would be banned from entering the U.S. for 30 days.
The threat of the virus has forced local institutions and government agencies to make drastic changes.
State of emergency
Lucas declared the state of emergency in conjunction with Kansas City Health Department Director Rex Archer, who said it is likely there are individuals in the area who have the illness and don’t know.
“We still don’t have person-to-person proven transmission in the city,” Archer said, “so we’re not going to overreact or underreact. We’re going to be doing this and monitoring our decisions on a daily basis.”
Steps like social distancing, Archer said, are essential to managing the virus.
“If we can change the average number of people that become infected from each person, we can slow it down and then it won’t overrun our emergency rooms, our (intensive care units), and we will have enough ventilators to treat everybody.”
The emergency declaration doesn’t apply to schools, but does apply to religious institutions with gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
Non-essential travel for city employees has also been suspended.
Lucas said the city doesn’t “come to these decisions lightly.”
He and Archer said vulnerable populations — such as those over age 50, those with heart and lung conditions and anyone who is immunocompromised — should take extra precautions.
The city of Independence also declared a state of emergency Thursday.
New cases
Three men in Johnson County who traveled to a conference in Florida have the coronavirus, officials said Thursday.
Kansas now has four cases, all of them in Johnson County. The first confirmed case was announced Saturday and is unrelated to the cases identified Thursday.
Mary Beverly, interim director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, said the three men weren’t showing symptoms when they traveled back from the conference.
“Once they developed symptoms, they did all the right things and were isolated appropriately,” Beverly said.
Health officials will contact individuals who have been exposed to the three men, she said. She added that there is currently no evidence that the virus is spreading within the Johnson County community.
Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said authorities are recognizing that there will be a gradual increase in the number of cases from people coming into the state, but “hopefully none locally transmitted.”
Kansas will receive $5.9 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help combat the spread of the virus. Missouri will receive $9.9 million.
The second case announced in Missouri Thursday comes after the state’s first case was confirmed Saturday in St. Louis County.
Cancellations
The college basketball season ended abruptly Thursday, a month before the national championship games were to be played.
“This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities,” the NCAA said in a statement.
The organization canceled all tournaments for winter and spring sports. But the biggest showcase event in NCAA sports is March Madness, played every year since 1939.
“I feel terrible for the seniors that are involved in this tournament,” commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. “I feel particularly bad for the players.”
On Wednesday, the Big 12 announced tournament games would be played without most spectators in the stands. Only family members and media would be in the buildings along with the teams.
The men were playing at the Sprint Center while the women were slated to open their event at Municipal Auditorium.
But as events unfolded Thursday, the prospect of canceling the tournament became a reality.
The favorite heading into this year’s men’s tournament was Kansas, which had received every first-place vote in the latest wire service polls.
The Kansas City Royals and Sporting Kansas City have suspended their seasons.
Organizers at other institutions have also pulled the plug on events and activities.
Tuesday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Kansas City was canceled as was the Snake Saturday Parade and Festival.
Planet Comicon Kansas City, which was scheduled for March 20 to 22, has been postponed.
Events at the Midland, Kauffman Center, Kansas City Public Library, Johnson County Public Library have been temporarily canceled.
“It’s clear that many of our long-time traditions of spring, our planned activities, and how we interact over the weeks and months ahead will change dramatically as we confront our current public health challenge,” Lucas posted on social media.
Classes canceled
Universities across the region canceled or suspended classes, with some shifting to online-only instruction.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City, Johnson County Community College and Rockhurst University said Thursday they are converting to online-only instruction, the latest in a series of area colleges to announce drastic changes because of concerns over the coronavirus.
UMKC made the decision after students called on officials to follow the lead of other schools. The university said it would suspend in-person classes at the end of the day Thursday. Classes will move online March 16 at their usual times. Friday’s classes are canceled to give the campus time to prepare for online courses.
Rockhurst University, which is on spring break now, will conduct classes remotely beginning Monday, March 16. Students will get direction about class schedules from their individual instructors. In-person classes are halted for a minimum of two weeks, through at least Saturday, March 28.
During spring break starting March 14, JCCC will be open only to essential personnel as officials transition to online-only classes. Classes will not resume for two weeks: On March 30, faculty and staff have been instructed to begin delivering all courses remotely.
The University of Kansas is on spring break this week. Officials announced that classes will not resume for another week after that as instructors prepare to deliver their courses, including lectures, online. Once classes start up again March 23, they will all be online.
Kansas State University, which is now on spring break, announced that classes are canceled March 16-20. They will resume remotely beginning March 23.
The University of Missouri suspended all classes through Sunday. On Monday, classes will resume, but they’ll be delivered online only. The university was scheduled to go on spring break the week of March 23.
Star reporters Allison Kite, Jason Hancock, Katie Bernard, Mara’ Williams, Blair Kirkhoff, Sarah Ritter and Jonathan Shorman of the Wichita Eagle contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 5:56 PM.
