On a 9-1 vote, the Unified Government Commission on Thursday night voted to lift some COVID-19 restrictions.
The action at the 7 p.m. meeting follows a similar move earlier this week by Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson County, Missouri, to lift some restrictions. Additionally, Johnson County, Kansas, commissioners earlier today voted to make its restrictions just “recommendations.”
The new UG ordinance will remove the mask-wearing requirement outdoors and remove social distancing requirements in Wyandotte County.
However, mask-wearing requirements will remain in public places indoors. Mask removal may take place indoors when all individuals have been fully vaccinated, according to the change.
The UG Health Department still recommends continued mask-wearing and social distancing, according to Health Department officials who spoke at the 5 p.m. UG Commission meeting.
The changes go into effect tonight (at 12:01 a.m. April 30) and will remain in effect through 11:59 p.m. May 28.
As described by Misty Brown, UG attorney, the UG’s ordinance is similar to recent changes made by Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson County, Missouri.
The latest Wyandotte County vaccination rates, out Wednesday, showed that 28 percent of the residents had received at least one dose of vaccine, while 21 percent had completed their vaccination series.
This is far below the 70 percent needed for herd immunity, according to UG Health Department doctors.
Commissioner Gayle Townsend was the only commissioner who voted against the ordinance change at the 7 p.m. meeting.
During the 5 p.m. meeting, Commissioner Townsend said she had read over the current mask and distancing ordinance.
If they relax measures while they have low vaccination numbers, they are not doing themselves and the populace any favors, she said. The numbers do not support anything other than the ordinance that was in effect, she said.
She added she was concerned about the residents of District 1, where vaccinations were not as high, and that if the individuals there become ill it always presents more of a challenge, including an economic challenge.
Commissioner Townsend had read over the current ordinance, which already had a lot of exemptions. This current ordinance said that whenever people were outdoors in public spaces and unable to maintain 6 feet of space, they had to wear a mask. If they could maintain 6 feet of distance, they were not required to wear a mask outdoors.
Commissioner Melissa Bynum asked what would happen at the Kansas City Monarchs baseball games at Village West if the ordinance change passed.
According to Juliann Van Liew, Health Department director, the owners could enforce a mask requirement if they wanted, but under the new rules, masks would not be required there unless the owners mandated it, because it is outdoors.
She also said the Health Department still encourages people to wear masks at larger venues such as concerts and sporting events.
Commissioner Bynum also asked about the Health Department allowing the three cities in the county to make their own decisions on masks.
Van Liew said it’s not the Health Department’s recommendation. There is fluidity and movement in the county, and it doesn’t make sense epidemiologically to do that, she said.
Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy UG Health Department medical officer, said it is important to move together as a county.
Commissioner Bynum also said she had received questions about why people should be concerned about other people getting vaccinated.
Van Liew said there are many people in the community who are immune-compromised, including those who have received transplants. She said many do not have an immune response. People should get vaccinated for the others in the community who can’t get a vaccine or who can’t mount an immune response, she said. And it’s also for kids, who can’t receive the vaccine yet but can still get COVID. It’s all about protecting one another, she said.
Dr. Corriveau said that people may be vaccinated but still able to carry COVID. For individuals who don’t have vaccinations, if they are not in the same household, it is important to wear a mask, she said. The risk of gathering together with people who are not vaccinated is not worth taking at this point, especially with variants.
Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer, said the virus will stay around until enough people are vaccinated, when it will burn itself out. It took decades to get polio and smallpox eliminated in the United States, he said. If not enough people are vaccinated, COVID-19 will stay around.
Dr. Greiner said Wyandotte County has been giving out vaccines at a rate of around 1,500 a week, and at that rate, it won’t reach 70 percent of the residents until early 2022. Seventy percent is the bare minimum to reach herd immunity, he said.
With a recent slowdown in the rate of people getting vaccinated here, and also in other communities, there were several initiatives Wyandotte County is implementing.
According to Van Liew, on the week of May 10, the Health Department will launch a third mobile vaccination team that will be able to respond to larger vaccination events. They currently have two teams that can do 30 to 50 vaccinations in an afternoon, and in the future, the will be able to do 100. Residents may request mobile vaccination through the UG Health Department’s COVID-19 website.
During the week of May 10, the Health Department will limit the hours at the Best Buy and Armory vaccination facilities, with the former Best Buy open on Monday and Tuesday, and the Armory open Wednesday through Saturday, she said.
The Health Department also will send teams to canvass neighborhoods that have low vaccination rates, according to Van Liew. Six persons have been hired from the Zip Code areas that have low vaccination rates, she said. They have been trained to discuss vaccination options, science, and will answer questions of residents.
Also launched is an initiative to reach the African-American community through six flagship churches, plus 30 cohort churches, she said. Churches will receive money for the outreach effort. The churches will do outreach with members, encouraging vaccinations. So far, almost 1,900 people have been vaccinated through this effort, she added.
They are currently planning a similar initiative for Hispanic churches, she added.
The Health Department also has held a town hall meeting with the Congolese community, involving churches and community leaders, according to Van Liew.
In addition, an event was held for the Nepalese community at the Armory, where hundreds participated, she said.
The Health Department also launched a poster contest to engage children, she said. The deadline for that contest is April 30. Gift cards will be given to winners of the contest.
A business outreach has also been started, and businesses were asked to reach out to their neighborhoods to promote vaccinations.
There also have been meetings with more than 160 businesses, and also with business groups, she said.
The UG Commission discussed the changed ordinance at its 5 p.m. special session, but did not make the proposed ordinance itself available until just before the 7 p.m. meeting. The vote was added to the 7 p.m. agenda after 6 p.m. April 29.
The 5 p.m. April 29 UG Commission meeting is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXaYkQfLySc.
The revised UG ordinance is on the revised UG agenda for 7 p.m. April 29 at https://www.wycokck.org/Clerk/Agendas.aspx.
Agree with Townsend, this could extend the increase in cases.