‘Little reason to gather’ as COVID turns Plaza lighting into broadcast-only event
Unlike previous years, the Country Club Plaza is not expecting crowds of thousands of people for its annual lighting of the Plaza Lights, a Kansas City Thanksgiving tradition of more than 90 years.
There will be no live show on the Plaza this year due to concerns of the spread of COVID-19, which local health experts say is a good thing.
“To ensure the health and safety of the community, the Plaza and KMBC will host a broadcast-only Thanksgiving event that is designed to be enjoyed from home,” said Kasey Vena, general manager of the Country Club Plaza. The event will air starting at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
While some restaurants will be open that day, all Plaza shops will be closed. To help keep people safe, Plaza security will work to prevent large groups from gathering and work with Kansas City police to help manage the crowd, Vena said.
When asked to further explain how the Plaza plans to prevent large groups from gathering, Vena said: “There is little reason for crowds to gather on Thanksgiving as all stores will be closed and, for the first time, there is no live event to view on the Plaza.”
The Plaza has hired off-duty officers to ensure safety, said Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.
“We also will have on-duty resources available to respond to any issues or calls for service …,” he said. “We will ensure everyone’s safety and address any disturbances or physical altercations that affect anyone’s safety.”
For those looking to keep with tradition, it’s important they understand the risks they are taking, said Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System.
Even though it’s outside, they will need to wear masks as well as maintain a physical distance of not only six feet, but eight to 10 feet, Hawkinson said.
“If you want to compare it to the protests in the summer where luckily we saw very little or or any known transmission from those protests and demonstrations and a lot of people wearing masks, I think you have to understand that during the summer, the infection dynamics were quite different,” he said. “There wasn’t as high rate or as much community spread as there is right now.”
He said he would certainly encourage most everybody to stay at home in their bubble so as not to spread the disease or contract it.
“Once you get down there probably you will see people who you know,” Hawkinson, said. “You will want to interact and be social, that’s kind of how we are. We are a social animal.”
But that’s dangerous considering the amount of community spread of COVID-19 there is in the Kansas City area right now, he said. The main goal is to keep people health not only for Thanksgiving, but moving into the Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah holidays.
The Kansas City metro area added more than 1,321 COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths Nov. 19. That increase in cases was the second highest single-day increase for the metro -- the highest coming just days before. The seven-day average for new cases now sits at a record 1,172. One week ago, it was 1,010. Two weeks ago, it was 695.
“The holidays are going to be much more difficult this year, but we have to keep our eye on the future,” Hawkinson said.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he grew up with a paper Christmas tree taped to the door, and the Plaza Lights were always a bright spot during the holiday season when his family didn’t have a home to hang lights on.
“The Plaza Lighting Ceremony is one of Kansas City’s favorite time-honored traditions, and I look forward to this year’s virtual event,” he said. “As it has been for my family since my childhood, I know driving through the Plaza to view the lights will serve as a fun family activity for Kansas City families over the next several weeks as we continue our work to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Especially in confined spaces, such as a car, I again encourage Kansas Citians to celebrate holiday traditions with only our immediate households, to keep your families and our community safe.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
