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 March 23.
Previous coverage:
Monday, March 16
Tuesday, March 17
Wednesday, March 18
Thursday, March 19
Friday, March 20
Saturday, March 21
Sunday, March 22
9:53 p.m. | St. Charles County reported its first COVID-19 death. The patient was in his 70s and had been hospitalized, according to a news release. This brings the death total for Missouri to six.
8:30 p.m. | Oak Park Mall closed at 7 p.m. Monday and will remained closed until further notice, according to a message on their website. Several restaurants at the mall are open for takeout, curbside pick-up or delivery.
Those include Houlihan's, Bibibop Asian Grill, Cheddars, Chick-fil-A Noodles & Company, Five Guys, Outback Steakhouse, Sonic and On The Border.
8:23 p.m. | The Missouri State Highway Patrol announced Monday night they are suspending all written and skills-based driver road testing at all locations through April 6. This includes commercial driver's license, motorcycle and operator licenses.
7:20 p.m. | The Springfield—Greene County Health Department said Monday evening that a woman in her 80s who tested positive for COVID-19 has died. It's the first death in Greene County and the fifth in Missouri.
7:05 p.m. | The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says two hospitals in the Kansas City metro, Truman Medical Center-Lakewood and Saint Luke's East Hospital in Lee's Summit, are offering mobile testing sites. Make sure to call the sites first to determine testing eligibility.
6:50 p.m. | The opening of the Silver Dollar City Theme Park will be delayed until May and operations of the Showboat Branson Belle will be suspended until further notice. The Silver Dollar City Campground is open at this time.
6:30 p.m. | Johnson County is seeking donated cloth masks to build the supply of personal protective equipment needed to respond to COVID-19. Cloth masks can be donated at the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 S. Cherry St. in Olathe. All donations can be dropped off in room 201 during business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
6:10 p.m. | A Missouri Department of Corrections inmate tested positive for COVID-19 and has been hospitalized at a Kansas City area hospital since March 19. Before being hospitalized, the inmate had been isolated at a correctional center in St. Joseph since March 4 due to a suspected respiratory condition.
5:55 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, officials reported eight new COVID-19 cases on Monday, pushing the city's total to 25 and the state total to 195.
5:05 p.m. | KC Pet Project will remain open as an essential city service, the organization said Monday. It has consolidated operations to its KC Campus for Animal Care and closed the Zona Rosa and Petco adoption centers.
4:40 p.m. | Hy-Vee will temporarily suspend its return, refund and rain check policy until further notice. Beginning Tuesday, all Hy-Vee stores will stop accepting returns. Any fresh product, including meat and produce, that do not meet standards for freshness can be exchanged. Non-perishable products will not be accepted.
4:25 p.m. | North Kansas City says it will allow businesses with a valid city liquor license to offer curbside delivery. Only packaged liquor can be delivered curbside. Microbreweries are allowed to distribute or deliver new, sealed "growler or crowler" curbside in the same fashion as a packaged liquor license holder.
4:15 p.m. | Clay County says three people have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first cases in the county. The patients are a man and a woman in their 50s and a woman in her 80s. None of them had recently traveled, and their cases are unrelated.
Editor's note: A mobile push alert sent regarding this story included an incorrect headline. It should have referenced the first "cases" of COVID-19 in Clay and Platte counties.
3:45 p.m. | Platte County says it has confirmed its first positive case of COVID-19. Close contacts will be notified and asked to self-isolate for 14 days, according to the county.
3:35 p.m. | Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. proposed emergency funding to provide "essential support" to Truman Medical Centers and the Jackson County Health Department, as well as first responders and in-home food delivery agencies. The Runions Act, named in honor of recently diagnosed Missouri Rep. Joe Runions, would make "millions of dollars" available for these providers to purchase equipment, tests and resources, White's office said on Monday. The proposal requires approval by the County Legislature.
3:30 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, City Hall and all other city facilities will be closed to the public until April 24 under the mayor's stay-at-home order.
3:25 p.m. | Wayside Waifs has stopped scheduling adoption appointments and closed its pet adoption center until April to comply with the stay-at-home order. The shelter will retain a "skeleton staff" to care for the animals on-site. Volunteer services also are suspended, and no in-kind donations will be accepted.
3:20 p.m. | Wyandotte County says no one will be arrested or detained because of their immigration status while seeking medical help or for being outside their homes during the stay-at-home order. Those who have to go out will not be pulled over or questioned, Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree said in a news release.
3:15 p.m. | Johnson County says residents who want to report a business that may not be complying with the executive order related to essential businesses should contact their company's human resources or legal departments. Otherwise, residents should contact their municipal police departments.
3:05 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says the state's request through the U.S. Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program was granted. Parson said the program will make low-interest disaster loans available statewide to small businesses and private, nonprofit organizations “severely impacted” by COVID-19.
At a news conference Monday, Parson also said the Missouri State Capitol and all state office buildings will be closed beginning Tuesday, March 24. Only essential personnel will be allowed in those buildings.
3 p.m. | The city of Blue Springs says City Hall and all city buildings will be closed until April 24 in accordance with the Jackson County stay-at-home order. Police will continue to perform normal operations, but the Public Safety Building will be closed. Blue Springs Municipal Court will postpone all dockets in April to a later date. The Adams Pointe Golf Course will be closed, but city parks will remain open, with playground use discouraged.
2:27 p.m. | Missouri saw a big jump in COVID-19 cases on Monday afternoon, with the number of confirmed cases increasing to 183. The age group with the highest number of cases was 20-29 years old, which had 46 cases. Gov. Mike Parson planned to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. Monday.
2:25 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Police Chief Rick Smith says that police will not be enforcing Mayor Quinton Lucas' stay-at-home order. Officers will not stop cars to "ask for papers" or determine where they're going, Smith said at a news conference Monday afternoon. "We’re asking for people to have some personal responsibility to stop the spread of the virus, and that’s what we want to communicate today," Smith said.
Smith also said that those who see a violation to the order should call 311 in order to keep 911 open for emergencies, unless there's a "criminal element" involved.
2:20 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas says he will propose an amendment to the city's fiscal year 2020-21 budget to create a $500,000 Small Business Emergency Relief Fund. The fund would provide small-sum grants to small, local businesses struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. The City Council is expected to vote on the budget on Thursday.
2:15 p.m. | St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said the city has reported its first death related to COVID-19. No details about the patient who died were immediately provided. This is the fourth death related to COVID-19 in Missouri.
1:45 p.m. | Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, estimates the state could have between 300-400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 by the end of the month, a "sharp uptick"from where the state stands now. In a Monday afternoon news conference, he did say, however, that it was good news that Kansas has not seen a "doubling of cases" every three to four days as other states have seen.
At the same news conference, Gov. Laura Kelly said she does not believe a statewide stay-at-home order, which all of the Kansas counties in the metro already have issued, is necessary at this point. She said that 89 of 105 counties in the state do not yet have a confirmed case of COVID-19.
1:30 p.m. | Kansas now says 82 positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the state.
1:15 p.m. | The Leawood Justice Center will be closed to public access due to the executive order for residents to stay at home. Meetings and walk-in services are suspended until further notice. Those needing to file a report should call 913-642-7700.
1:10 p.m. | Legends Outlets in Kansas City, Kansas, will close on Tuesday, March 24, for at least 30 days under an executive order to close all non-essential businesses. Essential businesses, including restaurants, can remain open for curbside pickup, carryout and delivery only.
12:33 p.m. | A member of the International Olympic Committee told USA TODAY the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will likely be delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
12:15 p.m. | Johnson County, Kansas, reported three new cases of COVID-19. That brings the county total to 31 cases, including one death.
11:08 a.m. | The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, including the Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center and Colmery-O'Neil VA Medical Center as well as its eight rural community clinics, are enacting stricter protocols.
All patients and staff will be screened for COVID-19 and non-patient visitors are barred except for certain critical-care or end-of-life patients on a case-by-case basis. Children are not allowed at the facilities and there is a one-visitor limit for outpatient and non-elective surgical procedures.
Veterans with COVID-19, flu or cold symptoms are asked to contact the VA Eastern Kansas before visiting by calling 785-350-311, extension 54555 or by sending a secure message through the My HealtheVet messaging system.
10:52 a.m. | Kansas City-area Community Blood Centers have adjusted operations in light of the stay-at-home order, which takes effect at midnight Tuesday. All donations will be by appointment only through at least the end of April and all scheduled blood drives during that time are canceled.
All seven centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays until further notice. More information is available for those wishing to donate.
10:47 a.m. | According to his office, Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, briefly saw Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, in the Senate gym Sunday morning.
He kept a safe distance and, after consulting with the attending physician of the U.S. Congress, it was determined that he does not need to self-quarantine.
10:21 a.m. | Wyandotte County, Kansas, announced two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 16. Both are women in their 40s and are isolating at home.
10:20 a.m. | To comply with the stay-at-home order issued by local officials, MidAmerica Nazarene University, which is based in Olathe, has moved all classes online and canceled all events through April 30 at the Bell Cultural Events Center.
Commencement ceremonies, which were scheduled for May 2, have been postponed indefinitely.
9:16 a.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Public Schools has extended their closure through April 24 to align with Mayor Quinton Lucas' stay at home order.
The district also announced that a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, but did not enter the school while symptomatic. They are being treated at a local hospital.
9:13 a.m. | U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas is under self-quarantine due to his interactions with Sen. Rand Paul, who tested positive for COVID-19. The senator's quarantine was announced in a morning conference call with the University of Kansas Hospital.
9:05 a.m. | School lunch pickups begin Monday for many metro school districts. For more information, view 41 Action News' list of participating districts.
7:51 a.m. | An employee at the Leavenworth VA Medical Center tested positive for COVID-19, according to a release. There was no information provided on what part of the hospital the employee works in.
7:02 a.m. | 41 Action News has compiled a list of all metro cities and counties under a stay at home order.
6:50 a.m. | Clay and Platte counties in Missouri also issued stay at home orders over the weekend. Residents should only leave their homes for essential activities or to work at an essential business. The order begins Tuesday and lasts for a month.
5:31 a.m. | Missouri small businesses affected by COVID-19 can now apply for a disaster loan through the Small Business Association thanks to a disaster declaration.
5:25 a.m. | Students that keep medication in the nurses office of any Kansas City Kansas Public Schools can pick it up beginning Monday from noon to 3 p.m. Parents should pull up to the school and call so the nurse can bring it out. Identification will be required.
5:20 a.m. | The Kansas City International Airport reported people have stolen their hand sanitizer pumps off the walls of the bathrooms. They will not be able to get more for months, and are reviewing surveillance video from outside the bathrooms.
