72 TOMORROW, 76 ON SUNDAY. ROB: KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS ANNOUNCED THE CITY WILL MOVE TO ITS NEXT PHASE ON SUNDAY. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? KMBC 9’S MATT EVANS EXPLAINS WHAT IS CHANGING. MATT: THAT 10-10-10 RULE WILL BE EXPIRING IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, REPLACED BY LESS RESTRICTIVE GUIDELINES ON KANSAS CITY GUIDELINES THAT WILL BEGIN ON SUNDAY. KANSAS CITY MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS WHEN MAKING THE ANNOUNCEMENT SAID THE NEW RULES WILL BE IN PLACE UNTIL JULY 5. THE BIGGEST CHANGE WILL BE OCCUPANCY REQUIREMENTS. INSTEAD OF BEING DOWN BY 10% OF THEIR OCCUPANCY, BUSINESSES CAN HAVE UP TO 50% OF THEIR OCCUPANCY INSIDE. THERE WILL NO LONGER BE LIMITS ON THE SIDES OF OUTDOOR GATHERINGS, BUT THEY MUST ADHERE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES. WEDDINGS AND GENERALS ARE BOUND BY THE 50% OCCUPANCY RULE. SALONS AND RESTAURANTS ARE REQUIRED TO KEEP SIX FEET OF DISTANCE BETWEEN SERVICE AREAS. WHEN ANNOUNCING THE RULES, MAYOR LUCAS SAID THE CITY WILL BE RAMPING UP ENFORCEMENT, SAYING ANY VIOLATIONS WILL LEAD TO FINES. BUSINESS LICENSES COULD BE REVOKED. ROB: WITH THE NEW GUIDELINES, RESTAURANTS ARE CHOOSING TO NOT OPEN THEIR DINING AREAS JUST YET. WE TALKED TO THE CO-OWNER OF A RESTAURANT. THEY SAID THE RESTAURANT HAS BEEN OFFERING ON TAKE OUT ONLY AND THEY DON’T PLAN TO OPEN UNTIL AFTER LABOR DAY. >> I DO THINK THE MAYOR WAS PUT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE AND DID THE BEST HE COULD. YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW WHAT THE CDC AND WHO ARE SAYING. ROB: RESTAURANTS LIKE Q39 IN MIDTOWN, WHO OPENED THEIR DINING ROOM WITH THE 10 FOOT RULE ON MONDAY, ARE READY TO GET MORE PEOPLE IN THEIR DINING ROOMS. PHASE TWO OF JACKSON COUNTY’S REOPENING PLAN BEGINS MONDAY. GATHERINGS OF UP TO 50 PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED. RETAIL BUSINESSES MUST LIMIT CAPACITY TO 25% OR 10% BASED ON SIZE UNTIL JUNE 15. NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES AND PLACES OF WORSHIP INCREASE TO 50% CAPACITY. COMMUNITY CENTERS, SWIMMING POOLS, THEATERS AND COLLEGE CAMPUSES CAN REOPEN. YOUTH SPORTS AND OVER NIGHT SUMMER CAMPS CAN BEGIN. SOCIAL DISTANCING MUST BE ENFORCED. FAIRS, PARADES, AND PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT REMAIN CLOSED. MISSOURI WILL REMAIN IN PHASE ONE FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS. THE INITIAL GOAL WAS TO MOVE TO THE NEXT PHASE, SUNDAY. BUT GOVERNOR MIKE PARSON SAYS SOME COMMUNITIES ARE FURTHER ALONG THAN OTHERS. BUSINESSES WILL BE ABLE TO OPERATE AS THEY HAVE DURING THE PAST MONTH. THERE ARE NO LIMITATIONS ON SOCIAL GATHERINGS, AS LONG AS SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES ARE MET. 77 NEW CASES OF COVID-19 WERE REPORTED IN THE METRO AREA THURSDAY AND TWO NEW DEATHS. MISSOURI IS REPORTING THAT 7.3% OF COVID-19 TESTS HAVE COME BACK POSITIVE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION WANTS THAT PERCENTAGE TO BE AT OR BELOW 10% TO ENSURE ADEQUATE TESTING. IN KANSAS, 6.4% OF TESTS ARE POSITIVE. THAT’S DOWN FROM 12% TWO WEEKS AGO. HEALTH OFFICIALS IN JOHNSON COUNTY ARE EXPANDING COVID-19 TESTING IN THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW. HEALTH CARE WORKERS HAVE FREE DRIVE-THROUGH TESTING SET UP AT THE COLLEGE BOULEVARD ACTIVITY CENTER IN OLATHE. IT’S GOING ON RIGHT NOW AND RUNS TO 2:00 TODAY. THIS TIME, HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE CASTING A WIDE NET. ANY JOHNSON COUNTY 18 AND OLDER CAN GET TESTED REGARDLESS OF IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS OR NOT. IF YOU GO, FOLLOW THE SIGNS NEAR 107TH AND LONE ELM ROAD AND STAY IN YOUR CARS WITH YOUR WINDOWS ROLLED UP UNTIL IT’S TIME FOR YOUR TEST. THE HEAD OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS IT’S IMPORTANT EVERYONE A CLEARER PICTURE OF WHAT IS GOING ON, ESPECIALLY YOU. >> NOBODY WANTS TO BE SPREADING THE VIRUS, BUT IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THAT YOU HAVE IT, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE THE STEPS OF ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE THAT ARE NEEDED TO PREVENT SPREAD TO OTHERS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE PART IN THE TESTING PROGRAM. ROB: THIS IS THE COUNTY’S FIFTH COMMUNITY TESTING EVENT BUT HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE OPENING IT UP TO ANY ADULT LIVING IN JO-CO AND THEY PLAN ON HOLDING SIMILAR TESTING EVENTS IN THE FUTURE. HEALTH OFFICIALS WANT YOU TO
Wyandotte County health officials allow bars, nightclubs to reopen with distancing guidelines
Bars and nightclubs in Wyandotte County are now allowed to reopen to the public with some restrictions in terms of capacity and social distancing, county health officials announced Friday afternoon.The county said bars and nightclubs in Wyandotte County are permitted to re-open under the following conditions: • Only 15 or fewer patrons are allowed inside the building with appropriate 6 feet social distancing between individuals, couples, or groups residing in the same household. Mingling within 6 feet by people who don’t cohabitate is strongly discouraged. • Outdoor seating is encouraged, provided there is appropriate 6 feet social distancing between individuals, couples, or groups residing in the same household. • Servers, bartenders and other staff are required to wear masks at all times and to wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, even if gloves are being used when interacting with patrons. • Sufficient hand sanitizer must be available throughout the business, and staff must clean high-touch surfaces (such as door handles, bar tops, tables, etc.) frequently with a proper disinfectant. “We believe staying in phase 2 is still the best approach at this time to cautiously start re-opening while protecting Wyandotte County residents and workers,” said Dr. Erin Corriveau, Deputy Medical Officer with the Unified Government Public Health Department. “It has become clear, however, that this was placing undue restrictions on bars and nightclubs compared to other businesses, and this looked different from the restrictions in neighboring communities. So long as they implement appropriate safety measures such as social distancing, bars and nightclubs do not inherently pose greater risks than other types of businesses that have already been able to re-open.” Aside from these changes to the restrictions on bars and nightclubs, the county said the rest of the phase 2 plan remains the same as when it went into effect on May 22. Public health officials urge the public to be cautious about their activities, and encourage them to continue basic practices to continue slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County. “While it’s exciting to see more and more of our community’s businesses reopening in a sensible, step-by-step manner, it’s also important to remember that COVID-19 remains a serious threat in Wyandotte County,” said Dr. Corriveau. “All of us in the community should still take precautions to slow the spread of the virus. This includes wearing a mask when out in public, washing your hands frequently with soap and water, and maintaining at least six feet of distance between yourself and people you don’t live with.”
Bars and nightclubs in Wyandotte County are now allowed to reopen to the public with some restrictions in terms of capacity and social distancing, county health officials announced Friday afternoon.
The county said bars and nightclubs in Wyandotte County are permitted to re-open under the following conditions:
• Only 15 or fewer patrons are allowed inside the building with appropriate 6 feet social distancing between individuals, couples, or groups residing in the same household. Mingling within 6 feet by people who don’t cohabitate is strongly discouraged.
• Outdoor seating is encouraged, provided there is appropriate 6 feet social distancing between individuals, couples, or groups residing in the same household.
• Servers, bartenders and other staff are required to wear masks at all times and to wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, even if gloves are being used when interacting with patrons.
• Sufficient hand sanitizer must be available throughout the business, and staff must clean high-touch surfaces (such as door handles, bar tops, tables, etc.) frequently with a proper disinfectant.
“We believe staying in phase 2 is still the best approach at this time to cautiously start re-opening while protecting Wyandotte County residents and workers,” said Dr. Erin Corriveau, Deputy Medical Officer with the Unified Government Public Health Department. “It has become clear, however, that this was placing undue restrictions on bars and nightclubs compared to other businesses, and this looked different from the restrictions in neighboring communities. So long as they implement appropriate safety measures such as social distancing, bars and nightclubs do not inherently pose greater risks than other types of businesses that have already been able to re-open.”
Aside from these changes to the restrictions on bars and nightclubs, the county said the rest of the phase 2 plan remains the same as when it went into effect on May 22. Public health officials urge the public to be cautious about their activities, and encourage them to continue basic practices to continue slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County.
“While it’s exciting to see more and more of our community’s businesses reopening in a sensible, step-by-step manner, it’s also important to remember that COVID-19 remains a serious threat in Wyandotte County,” said Dr. Corriveau. “All of us in the community should still take precautions to slow the spread of the virus. This includes wearing a mask when out in public, washing your hands frequently with soap and water, and maintaining at least six feet of distance between yourself and people you don’t live with.”
