KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Douglas County/Lawrence Department of Health announced new restrictions Thursday that will limit the size of mass gatherings.
Local Health Officer Dr. Thomas Marcellino said mass gatherings — instances in which people are in one location and unable to maintain six feet of distance between each other — will be limited to 15 people starting Friday, Nov. 13.
Currently, up to 45 people are allowed in such instances.
“We believe this spike is due to people letting their guards down with lapses in mask wearing, attending social gatherings that allow for transmission of COVID-19, and people who are experiencing symptoms being out in public instead of self-isolating to reduce chances for exposing others,” Marcellino said in a release. “It’s important for everyone now to double down on those public health practices, especially mask wearing, to get this turned around, and we are announcing these changes at a community level and in our education guidance today.”
Douglas County’s most recent 14-day rolling positivity rate stood at 13.8 percent as of Thursday. The county has been averaging more than 40 new COVID-19 cases during the last two weeks. In mid-October, the county had been averaging less than 18 new cases per day.
Additional information is available on the health department’s website.
