This Johnson County city mandates COVID masks, but vaccinated people might be exempt
The Prairie Village City Council on Monday adopted a citywide mask mandate, but gave businesses the option of requiring customers to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination instead.
After a series of amendments, the council ultimately voted 10-1 to approve a mask mandate for all indoor public spaces. Businesses can opt out of the mandate if they require everyone to provide proof of full vaccination upon entry.
There are exemptions for children under the age of 5, people with certain medical conditions, people participating in religious ceremonies and others.
Police Chief Byron Roberson said his department is prepared to enforce the order, although it will focus on educating anyone who does not comply. Violations could result in a fine of $25.
Prairie Village is now the first city in Johnson County to implement a mask mandate. The decision came as COVID-19 cases surge, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. And some on the council said a citywide mandate was necessary following inaction at both the state and county levels.
“I’m concerned that the county has failed to move forward on this the way that Wyandotte County and KC, Kansas has. The way that Kansas City, Missouri and Jackson County has on a mask mandate. I think they should. I urge them to take this up,” said Councilman Chad Herring, who voted in favor of the mandate.
Some council members said they favored giving businesses the option to either require customers to wear masks or provide proof of vaccination, hoping that it would incentivize more residents to get the shots.
Johnson County officials ended the county mandate in April, and since then have only strongly encouraged residents to wear them.
The CDC recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors, including in schools, in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, including in Missouri and Kansas.
But Johnson County has not followed the lead of Kansas City and neighboring municipalities. Health officials have yet to recommend a new countywide mandate.
Instead, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners approved a mask mandate for public and private schools only. When students and staff are inside buildings that teach up to sixth grade, everyone must wear masks. The majority of school districts in the county — including Shawnee Mission, which includes Prairie Village — have gone beyond that and required masks for all grade levels.
Earlier this month, Councilwoman Jori Nelson moved to ask city staff to draft the mandate, and the council voted 8-2 in favor.
Johnson County continues to report rising new COVID-19 cases. On Monday, the county’s positivity rate — the percentage of positive tests over the past 14 days — was 9.6%, up from 3.1% on July 1. The last time the rate was this high was in January.
As of Monday, nearly 58% of eligible residents in the county were fully vaccinated, according to county health department data.
“We can’t simply ignore what’s going on. We can’t ignore the virus. We can’t ignore the overflow of area hospitals,” Councilman Ron Nelson said at Monday’s meeting.
A handful of residents spoke before the council’s vote, both for and against a mask mandate. Kansas Rep. Jerry Stogsdill, a Prairie Village Democrat, urged the council to approve the order, citing hospital leaders’ concerns that they are forced to turn away transfer patients as hospitals reach capacity.
The only council member who voted against the final version of the mandate was Sheila Myers.
“A mandate at the city level will only drive customers to nearby cities that don’t require masks,” she said.
The City Council is expected to reconsider the mandate on Sept. 20.
The city of North Kansas City also has a mask mandate, but Clay and Platte counties do not. Also on Monday, the Independence City Council rejected a proposed mandate.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 9:39 PM.
