KCK mask ordinance extended through Jan. 6

A mask ordinance for indoor public spaces in Kansas City, Kansas, was extended through Jan. 6 at the Thursday Unified Government Commission meeting.

The mask ordinance does not apply to Bonner Springs, Edwardsville and school districts.

The vote was 6-3. Mayor David Alvey cast the sixth vote in favor of the mask ordinance. Voting in favor of it were Commissioners Gayle Townsend, Jane Winkler Philbrook, Angela Markley, Christian Ramirez, Harold Johnson and Alvey. Voting against the mask ordinance were Commissioners Melissa Bynum, Tom Burroughs and Brian McKiernan. Not present were Commissioners Jim Walters and Mike Kane.

Dr. Erin Corriveau, deputy health officer in Wyandotte County, said the CDC still considers Wyandotte County as an area where there is uncontrolled spread of COVID, and a lot of the surrounding area also is considered high risk.

COVID cases have been increasing slightly in the past two weeks, she said.

Many Wyandotte County residents remain unvaccinated, Dr. Corriveau said.

Only 53.1 percent of Wyandotte County residents have received at least one dose, while 45.6 percent of Wyandotte County residents have completed their vaccine series, she said.

Other areas, such as Johnson County, without mask requirements, have higher vaccination rates, she said.

Dr. Allen Greiner, chief health officer for Wyandotte County, said with the winter weather starting, more people will be indoors, and that results in an upsurge of COVID cases. He also discussed COVID surges seen across the country and in Europe; children under 5 being ineligible for the vaccine; almost half of the county’s residents are unvaccinated; immunity is waning for those vaccinated more than six months ago; and hospital resources remain under pressure.

Mask wearing makes a difference for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals because of the potential for breakthrough cases, he said. Data shows that mask-wearing also makes a difference in schools, he added.

While they are seeing a lot of kids ages 5 to 11 get vaccinated now, Health Department officials were not optimistic that enough will get vaccinated. That’s because the lowest number of adult age groups being vaccinated here are between their 20s and 40s, and that is the age of the parents who need to bring their children in to get vaccinated, according to health officials.

Besides kids, the Health Department also is seeing a lot of adults now getting their booster shots, according to health officials. They are not seeing very many coming in to get their first shots.

Commissioner Ramirez supported the mask ordinance, but said there were a lot of businesses that were not fully complying with it.

Dr. Greiner said different communities had different attitudes, and the mask ordinance was more complied with in some parts of Colorado.

Mayor Alvey said complaints were received about two large retailers not complying with the mask mandate, and an investigation found that compliance actually was relatively high there.

None of the measures they are taking against COVID is 100 percent, but like the Swiss cheese model, where several measures are taken at the same time, it all adds up, he said. Mayor Alvey said each person has a personal responsibility and personal freedom – to not get it and not give it.

Dr. Philbrook, an optometrist, said her district is 2-1 in favor of keeping the mask mandate. Only one in 20 of her patients complain about masks, and the rest are saying keep the mask on.

Commissioner Townsend, who made the motion for the extension of the mask ordinance, said she understood that people were suffering from mask fatigue, but that can’t get them beyond the pandemic. Vaccine and use of masks have been proven to protect the community, she said. The community needs to go back to education and enforcement, she said.

Commissioner Burroughs said he thought the community was fairly equally divided on the issue. Outside the community, people point at Wyandotte County as not being a healthy county because it still has a mask mandate in place, he said. He said it was time to let the mask mandate expire.

Commissioner McKiernan said that intellectually and medically he knows masking is what needs to be done, but as a practical matter, he didn’t.

He said private homes are going to be one of the places of most frequent gatherings during the upcoming holiday season, and private homes are not covered by the mask mandate. Also, at restaurants, people are allowed to take their masks off while they eat and drink. People also will gather at schools during the holidays, and the Commission has ceded its authority on masks to the school districts, he said.

“Many people who are vaccinated are very frustrated,” Commissioner McKiernan said. “They believe ‘I’ve done my part, when is everybody else going to step up and do theirs.’”

It drives people to say they’re done with it, he said. There’s a large “you ain’t the boss of me” attitude out there, he said. A lot of people are ignoring the mask mandate. He still would encourage individuals to continue to wear masks, he said.

The mask ordinance will be in effect through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6.