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 17.
9:14 p.m. | The seven-county Kansas City metropolitan area set a record with 706 new COVID-19 cases reported Friday across Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties in Kansas along with Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties in Missouri.
Nationally and locally, the numbers of new cases since last Friday broke all-time records for a single week across the board once again — climing 37% in the seven-county KC metro (2,778 new cases from July 10-17), 19% in Kansas (3,362), 28.3% in Missouri (5,725) and 10.8% in the U.S. overall (456,782).
Explore the 41 Action News story visualization of the pandemic for more insight.
8:13 p.m. | Three employees at the Seward County Health Department have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the facility to temporarily close its doors awaiting test results for all staff members.
Employees who test negative will be allowed to return Monday after the building has been thoroughly cleaned.
6:01 p.m. | The University of Kansas football team's scheduled Sept. 5 opener against New Hampshire must be postponed after the America East Conference announced Friday that all fall sports are delayed until 2021.
5:40 p.m. | Riding in vehicles after the pandemic could look different for a while. Ridesharing company Lyft will be distributing partitions to drivers as it makes changes to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a blog post Friday, Lyft said it is establishing new health and safety standards, including riders and drivers certifying they are symptom-free, wearing masks throughout the ride and the addition of vehicle partitions.
5:10 p.m. | Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab says wearing a mask will not be a requirement to vote in the Aug. 4 primary election.
“Our priority has been, and continues to be, ensuring every Kansan has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the 2020 elections,” Schwab said in a news release. “Kansas voters who choose to vote in-person will be allowed to vote, regardless of whether or not they wear a mask.”
Schwab’s office sent a memo to county election officials saying that no one who is qualified to vote should be turned away from a polling location for wearing or not wearing a mask.
4:50 p.m. | The director of the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department says he believes there is a slim chance schools will open on schedule and remain open throughout the fall semester.
“Right now … I think the chance is less than 20% we will be able to open schools on schedule and keep them open this fall,” Dr. Rex Archer said Friday. “Some classrooms or schools may open and close, open and close.”
4 p.m. | The Kansas City Royals said Friday that leftie Daniel Tillo and catcher Nick Dini have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be placed on the injured list. Both players are asymptomatic, according to the team.
3:13 p.m. | The numbers of COVID-19 cases in the seven-county Kansas City metropolitan area has now topped 15,000 cases since the start of the pandemic.
2:20 p.m. | U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, says the Department of Health and Human Services will provide an additional $64.7 million in coronavirus-related relief to Missouri hospitals and health care providers that have seen a high number of cases.
“Hospitals and health care providers that have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic need additional support,” Blunt said in a news release. “I’m glad to see the Department of Health and Human Services getting more funding out the door to where it’s needed most. We will continue looking at the needs of Missouri hospitals and providers as we move forward on the next COVID-19 relief package.”
A spokesperson for Blunt says it has not been determined which hospitals will receive funding in this latest round.
1:40 p.m. | Kansas reported an increase of 853 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 22,116.
On the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro, Johnson and Wyandotte counties added 444 new cases combined.
12:45 p.m. | The Missouri State Fair says it will cancel most of its events and and pivot to a youth livestock show, reversing an earlier decision to hold the fair as scheduled despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a news release, fair officials said two reasons drove the decision to scale back the fair: increasing numbers of COVID-19 and the cancellations of many vendors.
The decision means the Opening Day Ceremony, Governor’s Ham Breakfast, carnival midway and all other non-youth livestock related events will be canceled. The youth livestock show will be held during the fair's scheduled dates, Aug. 13-23.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said in mid-June he was committed to holding the event, which has only been canceled one other time in its history, during World War II.
11:40 a.m. | St. Louis County will impose limits on youth sports next week amid coronavirus outbreaks among players. County Executive Sam Page on Thursday announced teams won't be allowed to play against other teams. Spectators will be banned, and groups will be limited to 10 people or fewer, according to the Associated Press.
10:15 a.m. | The Hickman Mills C-1 School District, like others in the Kansas City metro, will give parents the option of choosing in-person or virtual learning for the fall semester. However, for those who choose in-person learning, it won't mean that virtual instruction goes away entirely.
10 a.m. | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended a No Sail Order for cruise ships through the end of September as the novel coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S.
The CDC has had the No Sail Order in effect since March 14. The agency extended the order for 100 days on April 15. The order was set to expire on July 24.
8:49 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.
5:20 a.m. | Shelter KC said the pandemic and stay-at-home orders could be causing a 20% increase in domestic abuse. Because of this, Shelter KC will hold a counseling training Friday for staff to better equip them to work with men, women and children who may have suffered abuse, as abuse is often a predictor of homelessness.
5 a.m. | The Blue Springs School District has extended the deadline for parents to decide whether their students will participate in virtual learning or in-person classes. The deadline was originally Friday but was moved to Wednesday, July 22.
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
Thursday, July 16
