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.
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 July 1.
5:15 p.m. | Multiple reports on Wednesday indicate the NFL will trim its preseason schedule from four games per team to two games. For the Kansas City Chiefs, that would mean home games against the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 15 and the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 3 would be canceled, according to one report.
4:30 p.m. | A recent spike of COVID-19 cases in Douglas County has caused the health department there to shut down bars for at least the next two weeks. Since the start of the pandemic, the county has tallied 190 cases, but 66 of those have come in the last week.
The order does not prohibit bars from offering curbside and carryout beverage services.
3:45 p.m. | Missouri added 351 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a four-day low, but also recorded 11 additional deaths, which is the fourth-most in one day during the last two weeks.
The seven-county Kansas City metro reported 371 new cases on Wednesday, which is the most new cases reported in one day since the pandemic began. Clay County reported two additional deaths and Johnson, Wyandotte and Jackson counties each reported one new death on Wednesday.
2 p.m. | North Kansas City, Missouri, will join other parts of the metro in requiring face masks to be worn within city limits. The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and will remain in effect until at least July 13.
1:14 p.m. | For the third time in the last six days, Kansas reported at least 500 new COVID-19 cases.
With 538 additional cases and three deaths Wednesday, including one each in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, Kansas has surpassed 15,000 confirmed cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic.
1 p.m. | Despite opposition from the state's top health director, the Kansas State Fair will be held this year. Masks will be required only at indoor commercial and competitive display areas, and crowd sizes will not be limited.
12:45 p.m. | After delaying Planet Comicon Kansas City five months in hopes of moving past the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers announced Wednesday that the event has been canceled for 2020.
12:25 p.m. | The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners will hold a special meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 2, to consider Gov. Laura Kelly's mask order, which is set to go into effect on July 3. Enforcement of Kelly's policy is up to individual counties, which can choose not to mandate the requirement.
Noon | Johnson County health officials say they are seeing a delay in COVID-19 testing results.
"The labs we send our specimens to are overwhelmed with processing COVID-19 tests and results are taking longer than usual," the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment said on Twitter.
The county is waiting on test results from a COVID-19 testing event on June 26 and testing done at its Olathe office this week. The results, which typically take five to seven business days, could also be delayed further because of the Fourth of July holiday.
The labs we send our specimens to are overwhelmed with processing COVID-19 tests and results are taking longer than usual. Normally we receive test results in 5-7 business days, but it could take a few extra days due to this delay and the holiday.
— JCDHE (@JOCOHealth) July 1, 2020
11:45 a.m. | A spokesperson for the Kansas City Royals says it's likely there will be no fans present in Kauffman Stadium for at least the start of the 60-game 2020 season. But while you may not be able to attend a Royals game for a while, a cutout of your likeness can.
10:35 a.m. | As parents head back to work, many are finding they live in a child care desert, with limited options for day care.
According to a new report from Kids Win Missouri, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in roughly 82% of counties in Missouri becoming child care deserts. A desert is a community with more than three children for every licensed child care spot. The same group said roughly 54% of counties were child care deserts before the pandemic.
10:20 a.m. | The Redemptorist Social Services Center will distribute 1,000 boxes of produce and dairy on Wednesday, July 1, at St. James Catholic Church, 309 S. Stewart Road in Liberty. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. and last until supplies are gone. No ID or documentation is necessary.
9:30 a.m. | Missouri workers who became unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic can enroll in online classes for free through a partnership between Coursera, an online learning platform, and the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.
Those who sign up will have free access to 3,800 courses that teach job-relevant skills, according to a news release from the state. Anyone who signs up before Sept. 30 can take courses and earn certificates through the end of the year. More information is available online at jobs.mo.gov.
9 a.m. | The Kansas City VA Medical Center says it has conducted more than 11,368 video telehealth appointments since the beginning of the year, a number that rose significantly once the COVID-19 pandemic began. Nationally, telehealth appointments to veterans homes have increased more than 1,000% during the pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
8:57 a.m. | University of Kansas Health System officials gave their daily COVID-19 update.
7:20 a.m. | Just starting your day? We’ve got you covered with a quick look at what you need to know.
6:11 a.m. | Due to a growing number of positive COVID-19 cases, Douglas County is requiring masks to be worn in indoor public spaces where 6 feet of separation is not possible beginning on Wednesday
6:10 a.m. | The city of Independence will open its cooling center at the Roger T. Sermon Community Center, 201 N. Dodgion St., from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and masks will be required. Those who do not have a mask or face covering will be provided with one. All residents who use the cooling center also will be required to properly social distance, the city said in a news release.
6 a.m. | Catholic Charities will serve summer meals for children 18 years and under every Wednesday through July 29 at the Johnson County Library Antioch branch, 8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway in Merriam. The meals will be distributed between 10-11 a.m. in the tent in the library's overflow parking lot on Slater Street. Each eligible child in the household can receive up to five breakfast and five lunch meals.
Previous coverage:
March 2020 updates
April 2020 updates
May 2020 updates
June 2020 updates
