Officials from Wyandotte County, Jackson County, Johnson County and Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday held a news conference at Union Station to explain the “stay home” order that will take effect at midnight Tuesday.
“We will work with intensive social distancing and set up policies that we believe will flatten the curve of this disease,” Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for Wyandotte County, said at the news conference.
He said the four local governments were working together to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and all signed orders for residents to stay at home.
The announcement came as Wyandotte County added another COVID-19 case, rising from 13 on Saturday to 14 on Sunday, and as Johnson County added three more positive cases, rising from 25 on Saturday to 28 on Sunday, according to figures from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The state total rose from 55 positive cases on Saturday to 64 positive cases on Sunday.
“It is critically important that we act as a unified front to slow the spread of COVID-19, not just in one community, but throughout the Kansas City area. Without these efforts, we believe the spread will continue and our health care systems will be overburdened,” Dr. Greiner said.
The provisions of the “stay home” order, which will be in effect from Tuesday, March 24, through April 23 in Wyandotte County, are similar to the “stay home” orders in the other metropolitan Kansas City areas, according to officials.
The order addresses essential activities and essential businesses, Dr. Greiner said. It directs all residents to remain in their place of residence, except for those conducting essential activities and in essential businesses.
The month-long order closes all “non-essential” activities in the metropolitan area, and essential activities are listed in the order.
Residents will still be able to go to the grocery store, hardware store for necessary supplies, medical appointments and to pick up medications, to go to the veterinarian with their pet, and caring for the elderly and minor dependents, according to the officials. Social distancing would be required for these activities, officials said.
Residents will be able to go to parks and outdoors, going out for exercise, but close-contact activities such as basketball will be discouraged. Residents would stay at least six feet away from each other.
Those at high-risk for severe illness for COVID-19 are urged to stay in their residences except to seek medical care, Dr. Greiner said. Those who are sick must stay in their residence, unless they are leaving to receive medical care, he said.
While most residents are in non-essential businesses, some are in essential businesses that will continue to operate, such as health care and public safety.
He said some of the essential businesses that will stay open include hospitals, health care facilities, child care facilities, pharmacies, healthy supply stores, grocery stores, farms, gas stations, banks, garbage collections, hardware stores, educational institutions to facilitate distance learning, businesses that ship or deliver groceries or other foods, professional services such as legal or accounting services when necessary to maintain compliance with legally mandated activities and media.
Businesses must comply with the social distancing and health guidelines, he said. Nonessential businesses may continue operations if employees are working at home.
Residents should not go to emergency rooms and urgent care for COVID-19 testing, he said. Residents who think they may have those symptoms may call their family doctors, primary care doctors or primary care clinics, and wait for instructions. They also may fill out a form on the UG’s COVID-19 website for self-reporting symptoms at https://us.openforms.com/Form/737110db-ad2f-4fe8-9823-b754a702ed4a.
He urged residents to practice good personal hygiene with proper hand washing, covering a cough or sneeze, staying home when sick, avoid touching the face and not shaking hands. Residents may call 311 to have questions answered and visit the UG website at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
“We find ourselves in difficult times. We are confronting a serious threat to ourselves, our lives and livelihoods,” Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor David Alvey said.
“I, for one, freely admit that I fear for the health, lives and livelihoods of our residents and businesses,” he said. “I fear, for I and others have considered the situation from every aspect, and what we clearly know about COVID-19 tells us we need to take this action, and what we clearly do not know about how far and wide COVID will spread, urges us as well to take this action,” he said.
Wyandotte County has convened community stakeholders for daily reporting, problem solving and consulting. The group included community leaders, school leaders, social service providers, medical and hospitals, the Board of Public Utilities and Unified Government, he said, as well as Sen. Jerry Moran’s office and Rep. Sharice Davids’ office.
He said he has witnessed throughout the area “a brilliant display of expertise and insight, of willingness to lead, of fortitude and selflessness. Yes, we experienced a well-founded fear, but we do not cower and we do not hide.”
Also speaking at the news conference were Jackson County Executive Frank White, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas and Johnson County Commissioner Ed Eilert.
The officials said that Leavenworth County and Platte County also have issued similar orders.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Lucas described the “stay home” effort as one in which residents will monitor themselves. He said there wouldn’t be police enforcement of it in Kansas City, Missouri. However, according to Lucas, the health department would be in charge of enforcing it.
He encouraged people to provide financial support for the homeless and low-income persons who may be affected and to support the most at-risk populations.
In answer to a question, he said while it is heartbreaking not to have funerals, weddings and church services the way they want them, they are trying to fight “community spread” of the coronavirus.
He also urged people to use social distancing while they are shopping at grocery stores. He asked people to reserve the early shopping hours for people who are senior citizens and those in at-risk groups.
Dr. Greiner said they need to reduce the spread of COVID-19 with these “stay home” orders as it is unlikely they will have enough tests for everyone. There are shortages of needed equipment, such as personal protective equipment, tests and ventilators, throughout the nation.
They are working to obtain more tests, he said. Individuals are asked to work with their primary care providers. The Southwest Boulevard Family Health Clinic is assisting with those who don’t have a regular health care provider; for information, call 913-396-7070. The clinic has a drive-through testing facility for a limited number of tests, for those who qualify for a test.
According to KDHE figures, on Sunday the positive cases in Kansas included: Butler County, 3; Cherokee County, 1; Douglas County, 4; Franklin County, 1; Jackson County, 1; Johnson County, 28; Leavenworth County, 4; Linn County, 1; Mitchell County, 1; Morris County, 2; Reno County, 1; Riley County, 1; Sedgwick County, 2; and Wyandotte County, 14.
To see a video of the news conference, with more details, visit https://www.facebook.com/jocogov/videos/2810638712364189/UzpfSTE5MjcwOTg0NDEwNTI3NDoyOTgxNjE3NDk4NTQ3ODE0/.
See earlier story at https://wyandotteonline.com/emergency-order-issued-to-stay-home-beginning-tuesday/.
To see the complete UG “stay home” order, with more details, for Wyandotte County, visit https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/UG_EMERGENCY_HEALTH_ORDER_STAY_AT_HOME.pdf.
To view a UG news release on the “stay home” order, with more details, visit https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/StayHomeKC03212020.pdf.
The UG’s COVID-19 response website is at
https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The Kansas COVID-19 website is at
https://govstatus.egov.com/coronavirus.
COVID-19 information from the CDC is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.
Why are liquor stores able to stay open that is not essential store