July 16 blog: Missouri adds another 891 COVID-19 cases

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.

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Updates on the spread of the virus and how it is affecting the metro can be found below for July 16.

11:15 p.m. | Missouri added 891 new COVID-19 cases, the fifth-highest single-day total in state history, and has now had more than 33,000 since the start of the pandemic with at least 1,153 who have died from virus complications.

9:30 p.m. | After several counselors tested positive for COVID-19, The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City has decided to shut down Camp J for the remainder of the summer beginning Monday.

The camp was supposed to continue through July 31 and details on refunds and credits will be forthcoming, the organization said.

None of the counselors have been at the camp since the first reported the onset of symptoms over the weekend and others who’d had social contact were quarantined. The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment is helping with additional contact tracing.

8:34 p.m. | Olathe Public Schools leaders planned to discuss the school reopening plan at Thursday’s board meeting, but Gov. Laura Kelly’s decision to postpone the 2020-21 school year until after Labor Day and impose some mandates on districts scrubbed those plans.

“With the governor's executive order announcement (Wednesday), it’s something we're going to have to step back and wait until we get the governor’s executive order then reevaluate where we were,”Superintendent John Allison said.

He said the board will have to call a special session to address it after the order is released.

7:57 p.m. | Jackson County Sheriff Daryl Forte announced Thursday that one of 305 staff members tested for the COVID-19 was positive along with two of 706 inmates.

7:56 p.m. | Educators, and those who educate educators, must reevaluate the learning environment with the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

7:54 p.m. | Hear from the local family of four who all came down with COVID-19 and the challenges that presented.

5:15 p.m. | Kansas City Public Schools says it will communicate reopening plans with families on Monday, July 20. The district said almost 9,000 people responded to surveys about in-person, blended and/or distance learning in the fall.

4:50 p.m. | Missouri wants to boost tourism in the state despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, announcing a new multi-million grant program to help marketing organizations encourage travel again.

4 p.m. | Cerner says it will "pause further re-entry plans" and keep employees working from home through the rest of the year.

"As the pandemic evolves, so do the decisions made to support our associate health and safety," the company said in a statement. "The Cerner COVID-19 Taskforce is continually reassessing and communicating new guidance as needed. We’ve determined that it is in the best interest of our associates and communities to pause further re-entry plans through the remainder of 2020."

2:45 p.m. | The Kansas Department of Labor sent notice Thursday that Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) will expire July 25.

The payment, funded through the CARES Act, provides qualified unemployed people with an additional $600 weekly.

KDOL said if a claimant is owed retroactive payments within the FPUC time period of March 29 to July 25, they will receive them once they have filed and are approved.

The department has paid out more than $1.2 billion in unemployment benefits to more than 200,000 Kansas residents, according to KDOL.

2:15 p.m. | Missouri State Fair organizers said Anheuser-Busch Inbev will not be sponsoring the Budweiser Tent in 2020 “in an effort to be sensitive to the current pandemic.”

As a result, organizers said all entertainment scheduled for the Bud Stage has been canceled.

2 p.m. | Jackson County will postpone its delinquent land tax sales scheduled for next month due to COVID-19.

The 16th Circuit Judicial Court granted the county's motion late Wednesday to delay the delinquent land tax sales due to health and safety concerns for residents.

“We understand this is a very difficult time physically, emotionally and financially for our residents at no fault of their own, and we want to support them as best we can. No one should fear losing their home during a global health pandemic,” Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. said in a news release. “I appreciate the proactive efforts by Director of Collection Whitney Miller and Presiding Judge David Bryn to ensure we keep the health and well-being of our community first.”

Impacted taxpayers will receive notice of this change through regular mail, according to the county.

12:30 p.m. | The 2020 KC Air Show will now be held next summer due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in the area, organizers said Thursday.

The air show, which was set to be held on Sept. 5-6, has been postponed to July 3-4, 2021, at New Century AirCenter. The 2020 headliners, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, will be replaced by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels for the 2021 show.

Tickets already purchased for 2020 will be honored for 2021 at the lower 2020 price.

“In these uncertain times, we can very much appreciate and respect the difficult decision KC Airshow Charities has made with regard to this year’s schedule. While it is unfortunate, we fully support the proactive measures they are taking in the interest of public health and safety of our community,” said Ed Eilert, chairman of the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners. “We are looking forward to an exciting show to be presented July 3-4, 2021 and know that it will be well worth the wait.”

Noon | St. Louis officials are considering whether to restore some restrictions on social gatherings after the state reported its second-largest single day increase in new cases of the coronavirus.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Mayor Lyda Krewson noted that “COVID numbers continue to not look very good” in announcing Wednesday that she is considering changes, according to the Associated Press.

10:35 a.m. | A spokesperson for the Missouri State High School Activities Association said under the current plan, fall sports teams can begin practices on Monday, Aug. 10, with competition beginning Friday, Aug. 28. This plan will be in place as long as schools have in-person class time.

MSHSAA Executive Director Dr. Kerwin Urhahn sent a letter Wednesday to all member superintendents, principals and activity directors with more information for schools to consider as they plan for the start of the school year.

10:25 a.m. | Missouri will hold COVID-19 community testing events in seven counties next week. Any Missouri resident, with or without symptoms, can be tested at these events; they do not have to reside in the county where testing is being held.

Testing will be held in Barry, Cape Girardeau, Jasper, Johnson, Macon, McDonald and Newton counties and the city of Joplin. Testing will be operated by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri National Guard, in coordination with local public health agencies.

CARES Act funding will be used for the community sampling, which gives the state a clearer look at COVID-19 prevalence in a given area.

Missouri residents can register for the testing online or by calling the state's COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411.

9 a.m. | The number of laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits remained stuck at 1.3 million last week, a historically high level that indicates many companies are still cutting jobs as the viral outbreak intensifies.

This is the second week in row that the U.S. Department of Labor has said that about 1.3 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits for the first time. The week ending on July 11 only saw a decrease of 10,000 claims from the previous week’s levels.

8:44 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.

5:30 a.m. | The Federal Reserve says economic activity has picked up in most regions of the country but still remains well below pre-pandemic levels with the country facing high levels of uncertainty, according to the Associated Press.

The Fed reported Wednesday that its latest survey of economic conditions around the country found improvements in consumer spending and other areas but said the gains were from very low levels seen when widespread lockdowns pushed the country into a deep recession.

5 a.m. | Olathe Public Schools plans to make a decision about fall classes on Thursday after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly released state guidelines Wednesday afternoon.

We wanted to give our families a timeline leading up to online registration. Today the Kansas State Board of Education will vote on accepting the Kansas Department of Education’s recommendations regarding a safe return to school. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/tDZAz3NA2F

— Olathe Public Schools (@olatheschools) July 15, 2020

Previous coverage:
March 2020 updates
April 2020 updates
May 2020 updates
June 2020 updates
Wednesday, July 1
Thursday, July 2
Friday, July 3
Monday, July 6
Tuesday, July 7
Wednesday, July 8
Thursday, July 9
Friday, July 10
Monday, July 13
Tuesday, July 14
Wednesday, July 15