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 May 27.
9:35 p.m. | The City of Louisburg plans to open its pool for the summer. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the city said the facility will open "as soon as the pool can be readied and lifeguards trained after action taken by the City Council at a special meeting Tuesday night."
7:23 p.m. | A drive-thru food bank will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Friday at Paradise Baptist Church, 1600 East 58th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110. For more information, call 816-333-7232 or email brandonellington@kcmo.org.
District 3 Councilman Brandon Ellington and Harvesters have partnered to put on the food bank.
The Kansas City VA Medical Center Mobile Food Pantry will host a food drive in partnership with Harvesters from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday at KCVA Honor Annex, 4251 Northern Avenue. Veterans will be asked to wait in their cars and staff will bring food items to them. The items will be provided at no cost.
The University of St. Mary has adjusted the academic calendar for its undergraduate students. Undergraduates will return to the main campus beginning in August on a staggered schedule and the fall 2020 semester will begin Aug. 11.
Labor Day will be recognized as a holidy, though there will not be a fall break, according to a news release. Final exams will begin Nov. 17, and the fall semester will end Nov. 20.
On-campus University of St. Mary graduate classes will begin Feb. 3. More information can be found on the university website.
Boxes of fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products will be offered for free from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Osage Trail Middle School in Independence. The Fort Osage School District Education Foundation, Fort Osage Food Service Department and Liberty Fruit will supply items for six weeks.
Boxes are limited to one per car and will be loaded by volunteers as peopel remain in their cars.
7 p.m. | Clay County will move into Phase 2 of its recovery plan on June 1. In Phase 2, mass gatherings of 50 people or less will be allowed, including weddings and funerals. Child care and day camps will be allowed to reopen with some restrictions.
Pools also can open at up to 25 percent capacity. Parks, playgrounds and trails will be opened, with physical distancing.
Additionally, organized sports will return, with restrictions.
6:05 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas says the city's current reopening order will be extended. The current order, which sets restrictions for non-essential businesses, was set to expire this weekend. Lucas, addressing Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly's decision Tuesday to make back her state's phased reopening plan optional rather than mandatory, says KCMO's plan "will still have compulsory elements."
Lucas did not offer more details but said he would share more "soon."
5:40 p.m. | The U.S. has reached another grim milestone amid the coronavirus pandemic, as deaths linked to the disease topped 100,000 on Wednesday, according to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University.
4:15 p.m. | Officials from SeaWorld and Disney World say they hope to open their theme parks in Orlando in June and July. SeaWorld wants to reopen June 11. Disney plans a tiered approach, with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opening July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15, according to the Associated Press.
4 p.m. | The U.S. is on the cusp of marking at least 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus. That was once an unthinkable toll, but it could portend even more misery in the months ahead as parts of the U.S. reopen, according to the Associated Press.
3:30 p.m. | Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, plans to reopen next week with limited capacity and additional safety measures in place.
1:40 p.m. | Free boxes of fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy will be available to pick up at the Osage Trail Middle School, 2101 N. Twyman Road in Independence, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 28.
The Fort Osage School District Education Foundation, Fort Osage Food Service Department and Liberty Fruit partnered to offer the food over the next six weeks through the USDA’s Food to Families Program.
There is a limit of one 20-pound box per car. Individuals must remain in their vehicles, and boxes will be loaded into their trunk or back seat.
12:50 p.m. | According to data released by state officials and county health departments, Kansas now has 9,412 cases of coronavirus in the state and 214 deaths. For the latest information on cases in Kansas, Missouri and the Kansas City metro, see our COVID-19 case tracker.
11:30 a.m. | Johnson County officials say they will continue to encourage and recommend that businesses and residents follow reopening guidelines from the state, but the plan will no longer be enforced.
Gov. Laura Kelly said Tuesday the state's reopening plan would serve as guidance and no longer be mandatory, allowing individual counties to choose whether to continue following the plan and how to enforce it.
In the current phase of the plan, gatherings of more than 15 people are not allowed. Face masks and social distancing are encouraged, as well as working remotely if possible and minimizing travel.
10:20 a.m. | Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly will not attend a briefing scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday. Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, will provide an update on the state's COVID-19 response.
Kelly will hold her next briefing on Friday afternoon, along with Norman.
8:47 a.m. | University of Kansas Health System officials gave their daily COVID-19 update and were joined by experts in youth and professional sports.
7:30 a.m. | Just starting your day? We’ve got you covered with a quick look at what you need to know.
6:44 a.m. | Operation Breakthrough is expanding its offering of in-person summer school classes for students in first through sixth grades. The group was already hosting 275 students aged kindergarten through eighth grade at its facility and offering online courses through Crossroads Charter School. Now, DeLaSalle Education Center is offering its facility so 200 more students can attend classes. It's all in an effort to help students who were unable to attend in-person classes at the end of the school year due to COVID-19.
5:30 a.m. | Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that her reopening plan for Kansas is now just guidance, not mandatory.
Both Johnson and Douglas counties announced on Twitter they would continue to follow the Phase 2 plan that was laid out by the governor. Wyandotte County also told 41 Action News it plans to continue following state guidance.
Today, @GovLauraKelly vetoed House Bill 2054. Going forward, Governor Kelly offers her plan to reopen only as guidance. Johnson County will not impose additional limits, but strongly recommend residents continue to adhere to the state's reopening plan. https://t.co/x9rbhWE0YQ pic.twitter.com/6Rw52TLro0
— Johnson County, Kan. (@jocogov) May 27, 2020
5:15 a.m. | Blood clots that can cause strokes, heart attacks and dangerous blockages in the legs and lungs are increasingly being found in COVID-19 patients, including some children. Even tiny clots that can damage tissue throughout the body have been seen in hospitalized patients and in autopsies, confounding doctors’ understanding of what was once considered mainly a respiratory infection, according to the Associated Press.
5 a.m. | ReStore in Independence will reopen on Wednesday, and "all staff, volunteers, and customers will be required to wear masks," according to a news release. The store's hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Blue Springs location opened on May 13.
Previous coverage:
March 2020 updates
April 2020 updates
Friday, May 1
Saturday, May 2
Sunday, May 3
Monday, May 4
Tuesday, May 5
Wednesday, May 6
Thursday, May 7
Friday, May 8
Saturday, May 9
Sunday, May 10
Monday, May 11
Tuesday, May 12
Wednesday, May 13
Thursday, May 14
Friday, May 15
Sunday, May 17
Monday, May 18
Tuesday, May 19
Thursday, May 21
Wednesday, May 20
Thursday, May 21
Thursday, May 21
Friday, May 22
Saturday, May 23
Sunday, May 24
Monday, May 25
Tuesday, May 26
