KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Residents of Douglas County won’t be able to visit their favorite watering hole for two weeks starting Friday as the county battles to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a release Wednesday afternoon from the Lawrence/Douglas County Public Health Department, a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the county has led health officials to close down bars in the county.
Since the start of the pandemic, the county has tallied 190 cases, but 66 of them have come in the last week.
Health officials said many of the new cases are younger people, but they have been linked to other cases involving higher-risk older adults.
"We have to slow down the spread of the coronavirus in Douglas County to prevent a surge of cases,” Douglas County’s Local Health Officer Dr. Thomas Marcellino said in a release. “It is our hope that taking these measures now will allow us to slow the spread and put us into a stronger position as we approach the school season.”
The order does not prohibit bars from offering curbside and carryout beverage services.
