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.
We are also keeping track of which metro jurisdictions are under stay at home orders for the foreseeable future, only allowing for essential business and activities.
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 24.
Previous coverage:
Monday, March 16
Tuesday, March 17
Wednesday, March 18
Thursday, March 19
Friday, March 20
Saturday, March 21
Sunday, March 22
Monday, March 23
10:45 p.m. | The Kansas Department of Health and Environment added new states Tuesday to their quarantine mandates. KDHE is mandating 14-day home quarantine for Kansans who have traveled on or after March 15 to a state with a known widespread community transmission - California, Florida, New York and Washington state. In addition, the KDHE added 14-day quarantine mandates to Kansans who traveled on or after March 23 to Illinois or New Jersey.
8:30 p.m. | Wyandotte County reported its second death due to COVID-19. The patient was a man in his 70s, according to a news release. The man had been admitted to a local hospital March 16 and tested positive March 18.
"He was discharged on Friday, March 20, then later admitted to another local hospital on Sunday, where he passed away in the late evening on Monday, March 23," the release stated.
7:56 p.m. | Newton County reported its first COVID-19 case on Tuesday night. The person currently is hospitalized and, according to the Newton County Health Department, had been exposed to someone in another state who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
7:10 p.m. | Johnson County, Kansas, Motor Vehicle Offices, including dealer/fleet services, will be closed to the public beginning Wednesday, March 25 for 30 days. The offices closed will be the Mission Motor Vehicle Office, 6000 Lamar Ave., Olathe Motor Vehicle Office, 782 N. Ridgeview Road and Dealer/Fleet Service in the County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry St., Olathe.
7 p.m. | Nebraska Furniture Mart announced it will close its four stores, including their Kansas City, Kansas, store, at 7 p.m. Friday, March 27. No word on when the stores will reopen.
5:30 p.m. | Blue Springs will close all playgrounds at city parks until at least April 24. City parks and trails will remain open for biking and walking.
5:05 p.m. | According to data kept by Missouri and local counties, the number of COVID-19 cases in the state has risen to 269 as of late Tuesday afternoon.
4:50 p.m. | A person under the age of 18 has died from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County in California, becoming the first known juvenile in the United States to die as a result of the new coronavirus.
4:45 p.m. | Johnson County is seeking donated cloth masks due to a nationwide mask shortage. The cloth masks would replace surgical masks only if it becomes necessary. Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 205 E. Flaming Road in Olathe, the Johnson County MED-ACT station.
4:35 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, officials report 30 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Twenty of those cases are in Jackson County; nine in Clay County; and one in Platte County.
4:30 p.m. | The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says two more patients of the same assisted living facility have died from COVID-19. Missouri has reported eight deaths related to the virus.
4:15 p.m. | The Kansas City VA Medical Center said a third veteran who visited an outpatient clinic tested positive for COVID-19. The veteran, a Missouri resident, was notified of the positive test results on March 23. The veteran is self-quarantining and "doing well," according to the VA.
3:30 p.m. | Gardner-Edgerton 231 School District has expanded the times for drive-thru meal service. Meals will be available from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Edgerton Elementary School, 425 W. Nelson St.
Meals also will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Wheatridge Middle School, 319 E. Washington St. Meals are available to all children ages 1-18. Children must be present to receive meals. The meals cannot be eaten at the schools. The meal kits will contain breakfast and lunch meals for several days.
2:48 p.m. | Sedgwick County now has four confirmed COVID-19 cases and the county is under a stay-at-home order, according to KSNW. The county, which includes Wichita, will begin the stay-at-home order Wednesday at midnight.
2:15 p.m. | There are now more than 50,000 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. More than 600 deaths have been reported in the country. The U.S. has the third-highest number of cases in the world, behind China and Italy.
1:30 p.m. | Wyandotte County confirmed five additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total there to 21 cases, which includes one death.
1:23 p.m. | President Donald Trump wants to open the U.S. back up for business as soon as possible, maybe even by Easter. The move would be made to keep Americans employed and the economy strong. The announcement is facing backlash from those who believe more isolation is needed to flatten the COVID-19 curve.
1:05 p.m. | Leavenworth County reported three additional cases of COVID-19. The patients are a woman in her 40s, a man in his 40s and a man in his 30s. None had traveled recently. There are now eight total cases in Leavenworth County and 87 cases in Kansas.
12:10 p.m. | Platte County says it has confirmed the second case of COVID-19 in the county, bringing the total cases in Missouri to 202.
Noon | Randolph County in central Missouri says it has confirmed its first positive case of COVID-19. There are now 201 confirmed cases in Missouri.
11:37 a.m. | The KC Streetcar has reduced operations to two streetcars making stops at 15-minute intervals. The streetcar is reducing from three cars in order to limit staff exposure to COVID-19. The hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
11:35 a.m. | The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is launching an online tool to deliver cards to nursing homes and care facilities since those residents can no longer receive visitors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone who would like to spread some cheer should visit the online portal.
11:29 a.m. | St. Joseph Medical Center is accepting donations of masks, gloves, surgical gowns and other personal protective equipment for their staff working to fight COVID-19. The items must be unused and sealed in original packaging. If you would like to make a donation, call 816-943-4543.
11 a.m. | Amazon says it will delay delivery of "non-essential" items for up to a month to prioritize the delivery of household staples, according to reports.
10 a.m. | Four more cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Johnson County, according to data kept by the county. There are now 36 cases confirmed there, the most of any county in Kansas.
8:34 a.m. | All Kansas City, Missouri, Parks and Recreation playgrounds and courts are closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Trails and parks remain open, but users should practice social distancing.
7:43 a.m. | The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo have officially been postponed until 2021.
7:17 a.m. | KDHE created a new online resource to keep residents up to date on the number of cases of COVID-19 in Kansas. The numbers are broken down by county.
7:11 a.m. | Japan’s NHK public television says Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will propose a one-year postponement for the Tokyo Olympics during talks with IOC President Thomas Bach.
7:04 a.m. | Ford will switch from making cars to making ventilators and protective gear for health care workers to help fight nationwide shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
6:08 a.m. | Kansas City restaurants Farina and Extra Virgin will be preparing a meal for men at the City Union Mission shelter in order to keep staff employed and help out in the community.
5:36 a.m. | Stay-at-home orders go into effect Tuesday morning for most metro jurisdictions. 41 Action News has a complete list of who is only allowed to venture out for essential activities.
5:27 a.m. | The Jewish Community Center launched a virtual website to help keep the community engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virtual J includes things like workouts and activities for families to do while isolating.
