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Home MenuMayor Lucas Announces New COVID-19 Guidelines for Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas—in consultation with Kansas City Health Department Director Rex Archer, M.D. and Emergency Medical Services Medical Director Erica Carney, M.D.— today announced updated guidelines for Kansas City as our community continues its work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“We are in the toughest moment since this virus came into our communities, and overcoming this crisis requires an aggressive and immediate response,” said Mayor Lucas. “We all have a significant role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19. I will emphasize again as we head into the holiday season: Please wear a mask, avoid large gatherings, wash your hands and stay home. I’ve got eight nieces and nephews, a great nephew, and folks I’d love to see. But hold off this year on the big Thanksgiving event. Help us all get through the next few months.”
“Without these additional protective measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission, we as a community will continue to see this epidemic spiral out of control,” said Dr. Archer. “Not only are we seeing record increases in new cases and COVID deaths, we will also experience additional deaths that could have been saved if there was room in the hospitals to treat these other conditions. If everyone takes personal responsibility to follow our new orders dozens of lives will be saved.”
"At this rate of widespread of transmission, our hospitals are experiencing unprecedented capacity issues,” said Dr. Carney. "With a worrisome spike in COVID-19 cases and now cases of reinfection, the health system is quickly running out of beds and staff to be able to handle this influx of patients. We have no capacity. Slowing down the rate of infection must be everyone's top priority."
New guidelines are as follows:
Restaurants, taverns, and all other venues, including public and private or membership-only event spaces, shall limit the number of occupants indoors to no more than 50 percent of building occupancy, and shall close at 10 p.m.
Indoor and outdoor patrons must be seated, and also masked at all times except when actively eating or drinking. Indoor and outdoor parties are limited to a maximum of 10 people and parties shall be spaced with no less than six feet of distance between themselves and individuals from any other parties.
Masks must be worn in all indoor spaces with more than one person per room, and outdoor spaces where social distancing of at least six feet cannot be maintained.
Gyms, fitness, and recreational centers, including city, school, and other publicly-owned and managed facilities, are limited to a 50 percent maximum capacity and are subject to all indoor and outdoor rules within this Order, including the requirement that all patrons wear masks indoors at all times and maintain social distancing of not less than six feet.
All indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people maximum.
Mayor Lucas, Dr. Archer and Dr. Carney strongly encourage businesses to allow their employees to work remotely to the fullest extent possible, and families to avoid large holiday gatherings.
Click here for Eleventh Amended Order. Click here for a full list of FAQs.
Kansas Citians interested in signing up for text updates from the City of Kansas City regarding COVID-19 should text COVIDKC to 888-777. For more information, visit the CDC’s website at cdc.gov/coronavirus or kcmo.gov/coronavirus. You may also call the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services hotline at 877-435-8411 for questions regarding COVID-19 in Missouri.
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“We are in the toughest moment since this virus came into our communities, and overcoming this crisis requires an aggressive and immediate response,” said Mayor Lucas. “We all have a significant role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19. I will emphasize again as we head into the holiday season: Please wear a mask, avoid large gatherings, wash your hands and stay home. I’ve got eight nieces and nephews, a great nephew, and folks I’d love to see. But hold off this year on the big Thanksgiving event. Help us all get through the next few months.”
“Without these additional protective measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission, we as a community will continue to see this epidemic spiral out of control,” said Dr. Archer. “Not only are we seeing record increases in new cases and COVID deaths, we will also experience additional deaths that could have been saved if there was room in the hospitals to treat these other conditions. If everyone takes personal responsibility to follow our new orders dozens of lives will be saved.”
"At this rate of widespread of transmission, our hospitals are experiencing unprecedented capacity issues,” said Dr. Carney. "With a worrisome spike in COVID-19 cases and now cases of reinfection, the health system is quickly running out of beds and staff to be able to handle this influx of patients. We have no capacity. Slowing down the rate of infection must be everyone's top priority."
New guidelines are as follows:
Restaurants, taverns, and all other venues, including public and private or membership-only event spaces, shall limit the number of occupants indoors to no more than 50 percent of building occupancy, and shall close at 10 p.m.
Indoor and outdoor patrons must be seated, and also masked at all times except when actively eating or drinking. Indoor and outdoor parties are limited to a maximum of 10 people and parties shall be spaced with no less than six feet of distance between themselves and individuals from any other parties.
Masks must be worn in all indoor spaces with more than one person per room, and outdoor spaces where social distancing of at least six feet cannot be maintained.
Gyms, fitness, and recreational centers, including city, school, and other publicly-owned and managed facilities, are limited to a 50 percent maximum capacity and are subject to all indoor and outdoor rules within this Order, including the requirement that all patrons wear masks indoors at all times and maintain social distancing of not less than six feet.
All indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people maximum.
Mayor Lucas, Dr. Archer and Dr. Carney strongly encourage businesses to allow their employees to work remotely to the fullest extent possible, and families to avoid large holiday gatherings.
Click here for Eleventh Amended Order. Click here for a full list of FAQs.
Kansas Citians interested in signing up for text updates from the City of Kansas City regarding COVID-19 should text COVIDKC to 888-777. For more information, visit the CDC’s website at cdc.gov/coronavirus or kcmo.gov/coronavirus. You may also call the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services hotline at 877-435-8411 for questions regarding COVID-19 in Missouri.
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