Despite Northland COVID-19 outbreak, Kansas City sticks to restaurant reopening date
Though a coronavirus outbreak at a Northland senior home drove Mayor Quinton Lucas to consider extending restaurant and bar closures, he announced Friday they would still reopen next week.
A host of nonessential businesses that had been closed under stay-at-home orders since March were allowed to open earlier this week under strict capacity rules. But restaurants, bars, gyms, museums, the Kansas City Zoo, government buildings and city-maintained playground equipment were expected to stay closed until May 15.
In a news conference Thursday, Lucas said he wasn’t sure if those places could reopen after seven residents and four staff members at McCrite Plaza at Briarcliff came down with COVID-19. He said the outbreak there — as well as an outbreak among workers at the Triumph Foods plant in St. Joseph — might hinder the Health Department’s ability to issue guidance to restaurants.
But Lucas announced in a news release Friday that the May 15 reopening was still on.
“Still, the last several days have demonstrated the harm that can be caused by asymptomatic individuals walking around with this virus and consequently infecting others,” Lucas said. “As we continue working to increase our testing capacity and contact tracing capabilities, I implore all who can to continue working from home and to limit all non-essential outings. And, please, stay home if you are sick.”
According to the release, Lucas will also hold a press conference Monday to announce guidelines for restaurants.
Lucas’ rules for nonessential retailers that opened Wednesday — known as “10/10/10” — limit businesses to up to 10% of their normal capacity or 10 people in their establishments at once, whatever is greater. It also asks that places of worship and businesses where people might sit down, such as a hair salons, maintain records of those they serve. That way, if there is a COVID-19 outbreak, contact tracers can test and isolate those exposed to the virus.
In Johnson County and areas of Jackson County outside Kansas City limits, restaurants can begin to offer dine-in service on Monday, with restrictions. Clay and County started allowing that this week. Wyandotte County, where coronavirus has hit the hardest, is holding off on allowing restaurants to open again.
