KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to spread across the world, and in Missouri and Kansas.
41 Action News is keeping track of all closings and cancellations, as well as tracking where positive coronavirus cases are located.
We are also keeping track of which metro jurisdictions are under stay at home orders for the foreseeable future, only allowing for essential business and activities.
If you are a business finding unique ways to serve our community, check our KC Open for Business Facebook group to share your ideas.
Updates on the spread of the virus and how it is affecting the metro can be found below for April 22.
9:05 p.m. | The city of Olathe announced on its website Wednesday night that it will implement citywide furloughs except for frontline police officers and firefighters, according to a news release posted on its website.
7: 10 p.m. | Jackson County has reported a 12th COVID-19 death, while Wyandotte County has two new deaths and there are three more deaths in St. Louis city.
6:00 p.m. | St. Louis County has extended its stay-at-home order indefinitely, according to local reports.
5:55 p.m. | Six more staff members and four more inmates at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas have tested positive for COVID-19.
4:55 p.m. | Cass County, Missouri, says it will extend its local stay-at-home order through May 3, putting the county in line with the state but not with Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson County, which have both extended their local stay-at-home orders through May 15.
At the same time, Clay County — which had previously extended its stay-at-home order through May 15 — said Wednesday that the local order will now expire on May 3.
Both counties cited the latest modeling projections for the peak of COVID-19 cases for their amended stay-at-home orders.
4:25 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said that “recent data” shows the state’s number of novel coronavirus cases is starting to stabilize and that the state has been able to “flatten the curve.”
In his daily press conference, he also said that beginning next week, Missouri will deploy a decontamination system that will assist with the N95 mask shortage.
4:15 p.m. | Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly relaxed some medical licensing restrictions to help meet the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kelly announced at her daily press conference that she'd signed Executive Order 20-26, which consists of four parts meant to help Kansas health care facilities meet emergency response needs.
2:55 p.m. | Inspections are underway at the Riverbend Post-Acute Rehabilitation facility in Kansas City, Kansas, where 27 people have now died from COVID-19. A spokeswoman for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services told the Associated Press that state and federal inspectors are looking into infection control measures at the facility.
The facility also reported Wednesday that 94 residents and 25 staff have contracted the virus. Eight residents are hospitalized.
2:25 p.m. | Missouri has reported more than 6,100 COVID-19 cases. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 6,196 cases and 238 deaths.
There are 148 new cases and 10 deaths.
1:08 p.m. | Johnson County Human Services will host a Virtual Food Drive using an Amazon Wish List through the end of summer. The Wish List is available online and contains non-perishable food products and hygiene products.
1:06 p.m. | A total of $8.5 million in grants from the Department of Health and Human Services was awarded to Kansas to fight COVID-19 in rural areas. The University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute will see $828,571 for telehealth, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will see $7,672,847 to improve rural hospitals.
1 p.m. | Funeral services for fallen KCFD EMT Billy Birmingham are underway.
12:35 p.m. | According to new data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state added 122 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths over the last 24 hours.
12:30 p.m. | The Internet Crime Complaint Center says it has seen an increase in online extortion scams with stay-at-home orders in effect over most of the country. For tips on how to protect yourself, click here.
12:20 p.m. | The Lawrence Busker Festival says it will move its four-day event, typically held over Memorial Day weekend, to Labor Day weekend on Sept. 4-7.
12:15 p.m. | The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department is celebrating the life of fallen EMT Billy Birmingham with a funeral procession in his honor. The veteran first responder lost his battle with COVID-19 last week.
11:20 a.m. | China is slamming a lawsuit brought against it by the state of Missouri over the coronavirus pandemic as "very absurd."
10:33 a.m. | A new report from the Kansas City, Missouri, Aviation Department shows passenger traffic at Kansas City International Airport was down by more than 50 percent in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 100 commercial planes are currently parked at KCI as airlines have grounded much of their fleets.
10 a.m. | Just starting your day? We’ve got you covered with a quick look at what you need to know.
9:50 a.m. | Initial jobless claims in Kansas held steady last week. For the week ending April 18, a total of 31,849 claims were filed, compared with 30,786 claims for the week ending April 11. It was a 3.5% increase week-over-week and a 2,556% increase over the year, according to data from the Kansas Department of Labor.
9:03 a.m. | Patricia Gray, the principal at Notre Dame de Sion, joined 41 Action News to discuss how life has changed and how her role has evolved.
8:37 a.m. | University of Kansas Health System officials gave their daily COVID-19 update. They were joined by Chief Medical Officers from Advent Health, Truman Medical Center and Liberty Hospital to talk about how treatment is going across the Kansas City area.
8:27 a.m. | St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, wants to remind patients that they are open for all medical emergencies. Anyone experiencing something like a heart attack or stroke should not let COVID-19 fears keep them from visiting the emergency department.
7:14 a.m. | Because of shutdowns around the world caused by COVID-19, pollution has plummeted and wildlife is thriving.
6:22 a.m. | Criminal records may be keeping small business owners from getting COVID-19 relief from the federal government.
5:36 a.m. | McDonald's is offering free "thank you" meals to first responders and healthcare workers battling COVID-19. The meals can be chosen off a specific menu and are available at select locations. They will be served in Happy Meal boxes with a note of appreciation.
5:15 am. | The memorial for fallen Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department EMT Billy Birmingham is scheduled to take place Wednesday. Several blocks of Troost Avenue will be closed this afternoon as firetrucks line the street to pay their respects.
Here's the route for today's procession to honor @KCMOFireDept EMT Billy Birmingham. Things get started at 11 a.m. Birmingham died of COVID19 last week.
More details via @41actionnews: https://t.co/iWPProogjq pic.twitter.com/BD5cgFooDU
— Charlie Keegan (@CharlieKeegan41) April 22, 2020
5 a.m. | The International Committee of the Red Cross sent out guidelines for planning for mass COVID-19 fatalities. Most of the instructions were pointed at other regions of the world, but the committee did recommend authorities be prepared with building to store bodies, have enough PPE to protect those burying the dead and make sure the deceased are buried respectfully and their families respected as well.
Previous coverage:
Monday, March 16
Tuesday, March 17
Wednesday, March 18
Thursday, March 19
Friday, March 20
Saturday, March 21
Sunday, March 22
Monday, March 23
Tuesday, March 24
Wednesday, March 25
Thursday, March 26
Friday, March 27
Saturday, March 28
Monday, March 30
Monday, March 30
Tuesday, March 31
Wednesday, April 1
Thursday, April 2
Friday, April 3
Friday, April 3
Saturday, April 4
Monday, April 6
Tuesday, April 7
Wednesday, April 8
Thursday, April 9
Friday, April 10
Saturday, April 11
Sunday, April 12
Monday, April 13
Tuesday, April 14
Wednesday, April 15
Thursday, April 16
Wednesday, April 15
Thursday, April 16
Friday, April 17
Saturday, April 18
Sunday, April 19
Monday, April 20
Tuesday, April 21
