The Unified Government Health Department on Thursday issued new guidance for gatherings of groups in Wyandotte County.
Groups should be limited to 25 persons outdoors for fully vaccinated persons, according to the new guidance. Indoor groups of fully vaccinated persons should be limited to 10, according to the Health Department.
For persons who are not fully vaccinated, the guidance is that they are safest if they avoid gathering with others who are not in their household, according to the Health Department.
The guidance included different levels such as “less safe,” “moderate risk” and “high risk.”
According to a news release, the guidance was issued for personal or social gatherings to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Wyandotte County and the Kansas City area.
It is in response to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, as well as the spread of the Delta variant, according to the Health Department. The Health Department plans to monitor COVID-19 data for Wyandotte County closely in the coming weeks and re-evaluate the gathering guidance in late September 2021, according to the news release.
For those who are fully vaccinated, the safest option is to limit gathering size and wear masks, excepet when they are both outdoors and socially distanced, according to the Health Department.
Residents should choose outdoor gatherings rather than indoor gatherings when possible, the Health Department stated. Gatherings should be limited to 25 people. If 6 feet of social distancing cannot be maintained, persons should wear a mask, the Health Department stated.
For indoor gatherings, fully vaccinated persons should limit them to 10 people, wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of social distancing, the Health Department stated.
A less safe option for the fully vaccinated, if they choose to have gatherings larger than the recommended number of people, they are asked to continue to wear masks to reduce the risk, the Health Department stated.
People who are fully vaccinated are at high risk when they gather without masks and without limiting the number of people, particularly if they are gathering indoors, according to the Health Department
Those who are not fully vaccinated are safest when avoiding gatherings with people who do not live in their household, according to the Health Department.
Under moderate risk for those who are not fully vaccinated, the guidance is to limit outdoor gatherings to 25 people, maintain social distancing and wear a mask if 6 feet of social distancing will be difficult to maintain. For indoor gatherings, those who are not fully vaccinated should avoid indoor gatherings wherever possible. If people gather indoors, they should limit it to no more than 10 people, wear a mask at all times and maintain social distancing.
Those who are not fully vaccinated are at high risk if they gather without masks or in larger numbers of people, particularly if gathering indoors, according to the Health Department. This creates high risk for the spread of COVID-19, especially the Delta variant.
The Health Department stated this guidance does not apply to health care settings, public health clinics or events where free COVID-19 vaccines or COVID-19 tests will be administered.
The Health Department urges caution with large events to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community, according to the news release.
Any business, organization or group that is planning a large event that would like to receive guidance from the Health Department on COVID-19 safety for the event may email [email protected] or call 913-573-6712.