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Jackson County, KCMO Municipal Court reinstate mask requirement through July 3

CDC moved county to high transmission designation for COVID-19 community levels last week
Jackson County Court
Posted at 11:51 AM, Jun 27, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-27 12:51:11-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Beginning Monday, masks are required again in Jackson County buildings and offices after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved thecounty back to the “High” designation for the level of COVID-19 transmission in the community.

Masks also are required in all Kansas City, Missouri, Municipal Court buildings, but there is no mask requirement in other city buildings at this time, a city official said.

The county makes its decisions on a weekly basis based on the CDC’s Community Level status, so masks will be required to be worn over the mouth and nose through Sunday, July 3.

“As the CDC has designated Jackson County in the High COVID-19 Community Level, starting today, the County has reinstated universal masking inside all county buildings for visitors and staff,” a county spokeswoman said via email to KSHB 41. “Additional protocols have also been implemented to mitigate the spread, including mandatory testing for unvaccinated staff and temperature checks for anyone entering county buildings.”

The KCMO Municipal Court’s decision is based on the CDC’s current community risk level. It also runs through July 3.

City and county offices, including the courts, will be closed on Monday, July 4, in observance of the federal holiday.

Jackson County already required mandatory testing and screening again after CDC returned the county to the Medium designation in recent weeks, but masks remained optional at that time.

Mandatory mask-wearing applies to all Jackson County staff and visitors regardless of vaccination status, including visitors to the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County.

The Jackson County Legislature rescinded the county-wide mask mandate in November and have not reimposed it, even during December and January as the omicron variant fueled a record number of cases locally and across Kansas and Missouri.

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