Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is relaxing COVID-19 – prompted restrictions in his city this weekend, with new rules for bars, restaurants and businesses lasting through July 5. READ RULE FAQ
“The rule this weekend will change from your 10 percent capacity limit and threshold t a 50 percent capacity threshold. We’ll ask everyone to follow social distancing guidelines. We’ll ask everyone when they are going into a public institution, some business, the grocery store, to wear a mask,” the mayor said in a press conference Thursday.
In this rule, businesses can still refuse service to customers who won’t wear a mask.
Lucas says workers do have some legal protections in the new rules. During this new order, employees can be excused from work who have underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk of death, who are caregivers for family members with COVID-19, or who must stay home with their kids because of the closure of a childcare facility due to COVID-19.
Kansas Citians can now call 3-1-1 locally to find out where to get tested, even if they have no symptoms.
According to the mayor’s office, “the order will be primarily enforced by the Health Department, with support from other city regulatory agencies such as the Kansas City Police and Fire Departments and the City’s Regulated Industries Division.”
Mayor Lucas says his news rules are prompted in part because areas around Kansas City have many different guidelines. He says it is a tough choice:
“There are people that are on one side that say, ‘You should have everything open and we should all be free and you’re terrible and a tyrant.’ And then there are people on the other side who say, “Bloof will be on your hands, you’re terrible and not doing enough.’ Both have their points.
I think what we’re trying to do is say, ‘How do we come to a balance?’ But part of that balance also requires everybody out in the world to be part of that,” Lucas said.
He thanked city residents for helping to keep numbers down and listed statistics showing Kansas City Missouri is doing better than some other midwestern metro areas of similar size or smaller.
Kansas City has had 1086 reported cases since March.
