KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Public Library announced Friday patrons will still be required to wear masks inside its buildings.
The announcement comes as federal, state and local governments relax mask wearing and social distancing requirements as COVID-19 vaccinations rise and cases trend lower.
On Friday, the city’s existing emergency order regarding the pandemic expired at noon.
The library cited the vaccination progress of one of its key groups - children - as one of the reasons to keep mask mandates in place.
“The library will continue to require masks inside all physical locations as many of our patrons – including children under 12 – cannot yet receive vaccines or a part of populations lacking equal access to vaccines,” the library said in a statement. “The library will continue to monitor vaccination rates in Kansas City, Missouri, and the wider metropolitan area to continually re-evaluate our masking requirement.”
Earlier this week, the library announced it would fully reopen its locations on June 1.
The Trails West building located at 11401 East 23rd Street South in Independence, Missouri, will not fully reopen on June 1 because it's undergoing renovations.
