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 June 24.
5:10 p.m. | The New Theatre and Restaurant in Overland Park says it will not reopen on July 7 as initially planned because of the continued increase in COVID-19 cases in Kansas.
Calling it "the responsible thing to do," the theater's new plan will be to reopen with its new season in September 2020. Season ticket holders who wish to renew can send in a form or renew online at newtheatre.com.
"If you have tickets for a performance between now and mid-September, please know your money is safe in your account," the New Theatre said in a message on its website.
4:45 p.m. | Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday that claimants who have been affected by recent duplicate payments can reach out to the Department of Labor through a new hotline and email.
Those who need assistance can call the hotline at 785-580-2602 or send an email to KDOL.DuplicateConcerns@ks.gov.
“I know some Kansans have struggled to get the services they need from the Department of Labor,” Kelly said in a news release. “My administration is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to make this right. Fixing the Department of Labor won’t happen overnight, but our administration will use every resource at our disposal to improve services and get Kansans help.”
3:14 p.m. | Fort Leavenworth announced that it will not have a public Independence Day celebration this year. However, there will be a fireworks display at dusk, which will be visible to surrounding communities.
3:10 p.m. | It was good while it lasted. Kansas City barbecue giant Joe's Kansas City historically has been closed on Sundays. That changed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when the restaurant decided to stay open on Sundays to keep employees working and customers happy.
But after a handful of months, the restaurant announced Wednesday it would return to being closed on Sunday.
"Our team has poured its heart and soul into serving you, but we need a rest," the company tweeted Wednesday. "Effective immediately, we will be closed on Sundays indefinitely."
3 p.m. | Data from state and local health departments in Missouri show that the state has now reported 1,001 deaths since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the first time it's crossed the 1,000 death threshold.
Additional data released Monday shows the state's overall case total now stands at 19,588, an increase of 353 cases since Tuesday's update.
2 p.m. | A Liberty Police Department employee who has had "minimal contact with the public" tested positive for COVID-19 this week, according to city officials.
The employee is currently self-quarantined. The city says it has conducted internal contact tracing and will be testing other staff who came in contact with the employee.
The city also said it disinfected the police department and other parts of City Hall.
After a Police Department employee tested positive for COVID-19 on June 23, we have conducted internal contact tracing and coordinated testing of other staff who were in direct contact with the employee.
— Liberty Missouri (@LibertyMissouri) June 24, 2020
1:50 p.m. | The Kansas City Chiefs made it official Wednesday, announcing this year’s training camp will be held at the team’s practice facilities in Kansas City, Missouri.
In recent years, the team has held training camp on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. The team said in a statement Wednesday it's hopeful training camp will return to St. Joe in 2021.
1:30 p.m. | In just the last two days, Kansas has added 424 new cases of COVID-19, bring the total number of cases from 12,621 to 13,045, a 3.4% increase since Monday.
On the Kansas side of the metro, Johnson County added 93 cases to its total, an increase of 7.1%. Wyandotte County added 94 cases to its total, a 4.9% increase, and crossed the 2,000-case threshold, the highest in the state.
Leavenworth County added five new cases to extend its total to 1,137 cases.
Despite the increase in cases, none of the metro counties in Kansas reported an increase in deaths on Wednesday.
1:20 p.m. | The Jackson County Health Department will host traveling immunization clinics in an effort to make required school immunizations more accessible during COVID-19. The clinics will be held in different cities each week from July 7 through Aug. 19 for students entering eighth and 12th grades.
The clinics will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Find a full list of dates and locations on the health department's website.
A separate clinic for kindergarten students will be held at the Jackson County Health Department in Independence from July 7 through Aug. 21. Those clinics will be held from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Walk-ins will not be allowed, and registration must be completed one week before the scheduled visit.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department previously announced that it will suspend walk-up immunizations this year due to the pandemic.
12:45 p.m. | The Kolache Factory, a Texas-based restaurant with locations in Shawnee and Overland Park, will shut down its dining rooms and return to carryout or drive-thru service only because of a surge in COVID-19 cases.
A spokesperson for the restaurant chain said the decision was made based on the number of COVID-19 cases in Texas.
11 a.m. | Starlight Theatre officials announced Wednesday that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused the venue to cancel or postpone all remaining 2020 shows. In a news release, a spokesperson said the increased costs of the COVID-19 precautions made the effort not “financially responsible."
9:20 a.m. | This year’s New York City Marathon, the world’s largest, has been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The event organizer, New York Road Runners (NYRR), and the New York City’s mayor’s office made the decision to cancel the Nov. 1 race.
8:46 a.m. | University of Kansas Health System officials gave their daily COVID-19 update.
7:30 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. | New coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged to their highest level in two months and are now back to where they were at the peak of the outbreak.
The U.S. on Tuesday reported 34,700 new cases of the virus, according to a tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University that was published Wednesday. There have been only two previous days that the U.S. has reported more cases: April 9 and April 24, when a record 36,400 cases were logged, according to the Associated Press.
5 a.m. | Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forte tweeted on Wednesday that no inmates are in medical or precautionary quarantine due to COVID-19 at the Jackson County Detention Center.
The sheriff said five non-inmates have tested positive and two non-inmates are in quarantine awaiting test results.
Jackson County Detention Center Isolation/Quarantine Status Update: 0 inmates in medical quarantine, 0 inmates in precautionary quarantine, 5 non-inmates have tested positive and 2 non-inmates are on quarantine awaiting test results. @KCMO @JacksonCountyMO @JCSheriffOffice pic.twitter.com/5DKJvyemXe
— Darryl Forte' (@sheriffforte) June 24, 2020
Previous coverage:
March 2020 updates
April 2020 updates
May 2020 updates
Monday, June 1
Tuesday, June 2
Wednesday, June 3
Thursday, June 4
Friday, June 5
Monday, June 8
Tuesday, June 9
Wednesday, June 10
Thursday, June 11
Friday, June 12
Monday, June 15
Tuesday, June 16
Wednesday, June 17
Thursday, June 18
Friday, June 19
Monday, June 22
Tuesday, June 23
