KANSAS CITY, Mo. — We have been tracking the spread of COVID-19 in the Kansas City area since the start of the pandemic.
Whether it's stories about how we bounce back through our Rebound KC effort, important information as school resumes or critical information about the November election, trust 41 Action News to keep you informed.
Businesses finding unique ways to serve our community can share ideas and connect on our KC Open for Business Facebook group.
Updates on the spread of the virus and how it is affecting the metro can be found below for Sept. 24.
6:47 p.m. | Some Missourians, who received overpayment notices from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, continue to wait for answers from the state. —TP
6:20 p.m. | State and local health departments in Missouri reported an additional 29 deaths Thursday, bringing the state’s total to 2,112 since the start of the pandemic and 136 during the last three days.
The previous record for most deaths reported in any week was 123 from May 2-8, when Gov. Mike Parson — who tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday — reopened the state economy after a six-week shutdown.
Local health departments in Kansas, whose state health department only issues reports three times per week, announced an additional 12 deaths on Friday.
There were five days from March through August with 10 or more deaths reported in Kansas. There have now been eight such days in September alone.
Another 1,670 new COVID-19 cases were reported across Missouri on Thursday, pushing the state’s total over 122,000 overall, according to the 41 Action New daily COVID-19 tracker.
Nationally, the U.S. will surpass 7 million total cases Friday, according to date from Johns Hopkins University. —TP
5:54 p.m. | Amid a global pandemic that has closed many local restaurants and left more struggling to survive, the great outdoors has proven to be the answer for many restaurants to draw diners in for a meal. —TP
5:29 p.m. | The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services will scale back hours for its COVID-19 hotline.
The hotline, which is available for citizens and health care providers by calling 8770435-8411, had been operating 24/7 since March.
It will now operate daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is when the department said 93% of more than 112,000 calls have been received.
The COVID-19 virtual assistant also remains an option. —TP
3:14 p.m. | Three Kansas City-area nonprofits will receive Spectrum Digital Education Grants, which “aim to further digital literacy in underserved populations.”
LaunchCode will receive $35,000 to assist students with online school “and ensure they have the technology and internet access to keep up with virtual course materials.”
Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas will receive $20,000 for a full-time career navigator, who will offer community services and digital workshops for job-seekers in areas with minimal online access through a mobile lab.
Finally, the Urban League of Greater Kansas City will receive $20,000 for outreach efforts to connect people with job opportunities, offer Digital Spectrum Academy classes and further “their mission to promote economic empowerment, equal opportunity, equity, and social justice.” —TP
3:25 p.m. | Aruba was added Thursday to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s travel quarantine list.
The Caribbean island nation was removed from the list Sept. 10, but the number of cases has exploded in the last two weeks.
Anyone who traveled to Aruba on or after Spet. 24 should quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Kansas. —TP
2:47 p.m. | Air travel at Kansas City International Airport remains severely curtailed amid the COVID-19 pandemic with a nearly 70% in passenger arrivals and departures for August 2020 compared to August 2019.
There were 322,319 arrivals and 159,033 departures, drops of 68.5% and 68.3%, respectively, according to data released Thursday by the Kansas City, Missouri, Aviation Department.
For the year, the total number of passengers at KCI is down more than 60%. —TP
2:35 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday he "feels healthy" one day after being diagnosed as positive for COVID-19. His wife, Teresa, also tested positive for the virus Wednesday, state officials said. —TP
12:20 p.m. | Mid-Continent Public Library is using nearly $50,000 in CARES Act funding to help bridge the digital divide as many schools and workplaces continue to meet virtually.
MCPL said it used the money to expand exterior WiFi signals at 32 of its locations across the Kansas City area. — HG
12:15 p.m. | Passenger traffic at Kansas City International Airport is down by more than 60 percent year-to-date, an airport spokesperson said Thursday.
Air travel has been one of the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air cargo tonnages were also down, the spokesperson said, though only by about 9 percent compared to last year. — HG
10:15 a.m. | Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools will no longer be distributing produce boxes. The district had partnered with C&C Produce on the weekly distribution over the past few months.
The district said the decision was effective immediately.
Effective immediately KCKPS will no longer be distributing produce boxes. Thank you to C&C Produce for the partnership over the past few months. pic.twitter.com/FA7cGAe45a
— Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (@kckschools) September 22, 2020
9 a.m. | Officials with the University of Kansas Health System gave an update on COVID-19 operations in the metro. —AW
8:10 a.m. | New U.S. jobless claims reached 870,000 last week as layoffs remain elevated six months after the coronavirus pandemic struck the economy.
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits each week is still high, and the economy has recovered only about half of the 22 million jobs that were lost to the pandemic. —AW
8 a.m. | The Independence School District will allow high school seniors currently on a hybrid learning schedule to return to class full-time beginning Oct. 5.
Parents of high school seniors have the option to choose full in-person learning, five days a week, or remain on the hybrid schedule, which alternates between one week of in-person learning followed by one week of virtual learning.
In a note to families earlier this week, the district said it also was planning for the return of more students "in the weeks and months ahead as it is safe to do so."
"Due to scheduling, at this time, the option to transition to fully in-person is only for seniors who are currently attending school in-person on the Hybrid model," the district said in the email to families.
Independence schools began Aug. 24, with 30% of students choosing the virtual option and 70% choosing the in-person option, according to a district spokesperson. —AW
7:45 a.m. | Just starting your day? We’ve got you covered with a quick look at what you need to know. —AW
7:15 a.m. | On Tuesday, the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools Board of Education approved a partnership with an internet service provider that will provide nearly 6,600 families free internet service.
The free service is only for families who did not previously have an internet service provider. It will run through the end of December when the school board will reevaluate students' needs. —AW
7 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Public Schools has set tentative plans to begin returning students to the classroom.
At the Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, the district said it has set a target date of Nov. 9, if not sooner.
A timeline for what a return to the classroom would look like, and what the phase-in process would entail, is still being planned. —AW
Previous coverage:
March 2020 updates
April 2020 updates
May 2020 updates
June 2020 updates
July 2020 updates
August 2020 updates
Wednesday, Sept. 23
