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 April 27.
7:50 p.m. | The U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct a virtual career expo Tuesday in conjunction with the University of Missouri for the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Both agencies relocated to the Kansas City area last fall, a controversial move that left dozens of vacancies in both departments as employees protested the move from Washington, D.C.
6 p.m. | According to updated reports from state and county health officials, Missouri has 300 COVID-19 deaths. Cases in both Kansas and Missouri spiked after a weekend lag.
In the Kansas City metro, there are now 2,164 confirmed cases and 129 deaths.
5:37 p.m. | Three Trails Brewing, located at 111 N. Main St. on the square in downtown Independence, will give front-line health workers a free growler of Not Deflated and Vaile Ale. Hospital workers, firefighters and police officers should present a valid ID and are asked to bring their own growler and lid while supplies last.
5:04 p.m. | VisitKC announced furloughs and layoffs Monday impacting 21 of 47 full-staff members, or 44% of the nonprofit’s employers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The changes, which take effect on Friday, were necessary because of the lost revenue from the city’s hotel occupancy tax with travel and tourism limited during the last few months and for the foreseeable future.
Employees already were working reduced hours at reduced pay since April 10.
4:58 p.m. | The U.S Department of Health and Human Services will give Missouri another $14 million for mental health and addiction services at five community health clinics, including $2 million for Compass Health in Clinton.
4:56 p.m. | Whiteman Air Force base has provided an update for its planned flyover Tuesday to honor front-line healf-care workers. People are asked to watch the flyover, which will follow the route below, from home:
- CenterPoint Medical Center in Independence, 10:18 a.m.
- Children’s Mercy Hospital Adele Campus in Kansas City, Missouri, 10:21 a.m.
- Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas in Overland Park, 10:28 a.m.
- Lee’s Summit Medical Center, 10:31 a.m.
- St. Luke’s East Hospital in Lee's Summit, 10:36 a.m.
- Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, 10:39 a.m.
- St. Luke's Hospital of Kansas City near the County Club Plaza, 10:39 a.m.
- Western Missouri Medical Center in Warrensburg, 11 a.m.
- Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, 11:08 a.m.
The weather should be fine Tuesday for the event, but the plan is to perform the flyover at the same times and location on Wednesday "should weather or operational requirements change," according to a spokesperson for Whiteman Air Force Base.
4:45 p.m. | Beginning Monday, Hy-Vee will require all employees to wear masks or facial coverings while at work. The Iowa-based company said the measure is mandatory for all employees across its eight-state region.
3:20 p.m. | Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has released details on the first phase of the state's reopening plan once the stay-at-home order is lifted on May 4. The plan does not place limits on social gatherings and will allow all businesses to reopen, though certain businesses will be required to take additional precautions.
2:40 p.m. | Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, announced Monday that an inmate at the Lansing Correctional Facility died over the weekend due to COVID-19 complications.
Norman also said he had received a report that a Kansas resident drank a disinfectant over the weekend, which was reported to Kansas poison control officials. The report came after President Donald Trump suggested that ingesting disinfectant might be a way to kill the virus.
2:31 p.m. | Select Johnson County residents who participated in the county Department of Health and Environment’s population health survey last week have been invited to an invitation-only drive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic Tuesday.
The county announced the testing plan Monday and stressed that it is not open to the public.
2:29 p.m. | A Johnson County task force charged with creating a recovery plan for the Kansas City area's second-largest county grappled with the details of what that might look like on Monday.
The task force, chaired by Johnson County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Ed Eilert, met for two hours in an effort to work through details of a draft of a recovery plan.
1:49 p.m. | Another $175 million from the CARES Act is being allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for hospitals and health care providers in Missouri, according to a release from Sen. Roy Blunt's office.
Missouri received more than $618 million for the health care sector during the first round of CARES Act funding.
1:25 p.m. | The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus now exceeds 3 million worldwide, according to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The United States remains the country with both the most number of confirmed cases and the most deaths linked to the disease. The U.S. is nearing 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country alone, and more than 50,000 people have died of the disease.
1:19 p.m. | A Northland clinic, KC Wellness Center, has started offering a COVID-19 antibody test to people who have not shown any symptoms, but some health experts still question the reliability of such tests.
The test “checks for the presence of coronavirus antibodies in the blood” and is not meant to diagnose an active case of COVID-19, rather it checks for the presence of an immune response to a past coronavirus infection, though not strictly COVID-19.
1:10 p.m. | The Kansas City Regional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund issued another $3.2 million in aid to 72 area nonprofits through its second round of grant funding. In one month, nearly $17 million has been donated. The One KC: A Digital Day of Giving initiative, a joint effort from Kansas City media organizations including 41 Action News, helped increase visibility of the fund, organizers said in a news release.
To see all of the organizations that received funding and for more information, visit growyourgiving.org.
11:38 a.m. | The 38th annual Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony, which had been scheduled for May 21-22, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No law enforcement officers were killed in Kansas in 2019, so no new names were set to be added to the memorial during the ceremony.
11:07 a.m. | All 500 test slots for the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department's pop-up COVID-19 testing, which will take place Monday through Wednesday, have been filled.
"This shows how urgently we and other cities/counties need testing kits and supplies," the KCMO Health Department said in a statement. "We will continue to work with the state to get more supplies and coordinate future pop-up clinics."
10 a.m. | Just starting your day? We’ve got you covered with a quick look at what you need to know.
9:37 a.m. | To help ease budget pressure for the remainder of the fiscal year, the University of Kansas announced administrative salary reductions. Men's basketball coach Bill Self, football coach Les Miles and athletic director Jeff Long are among those agreeing to voluntary pay cuts.
9:24 a.m. | Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools is suspending meal distribution for the week of April 27. This is due to a staff member having a fever.
As a precautionary measure, @kckschools will be suspending curbside meal distribution for the week of April 27th.
This is in response to an employee being found to have a fever. We will keep you informed with any new developments. pic.twitter.com/0ID9awUDoV
— Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (@kckschools) April 27, 2020
8:57 a.m. | Ray-Pec High School plans to postpone graduation for the class of 2020 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 17, at Panther Stadium. The following day is the rain day.
8:41 a.m. | University of Kansas Health System officials gave their daily COVID-19 update:
6:54 a.m. | One Kansas City area hotel is changing how they rent out rooms during the pandemic. The Raphael is rending out rooms for the day, not night, so customers can use them as office space and a quiet place to work.
5:22 a.m. | Pop-up COVID-19 testing for Kansas City, Missouri, residents begins Monday and lasts through Wednesday. Those interested in the test are required to register in advance, but are not required to have symptoms of the virus to receive the swab. Interested people should go online to sign up and learn more. UPDATE: the health department announced Monday morning all 500 slots are filled.
The @KCMOHealthDept has coordinated 4 pop-up testing sites 4/27-29 for #KCMO residents. Unlike other testing sites, you are NOT required to have #COVID19 symptoms to be tested. We're trying to reach underserved populations unable to afford care. Plz RT https://t.co/FxbDeqkFVP pic.twitter.com/GwQSBGgBwW
— KCMO Health Dept (@KCMOHealthDept) April 27, 2020
5:18 a.m. | Missouri Wines compiled a list of local, state wineries that are offering modified ordering and pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the wineries are now offering curbside pickup or delivery to stay open during the pandemic.
5 a.m. | March saw a rise in Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings for small businesses, and there are likely many more on the way.
Previous coverage:
Monday, March 16
Tuesday, March 17
Wednesday, March 18
Thursday, March 19
Friday, March 20
Saturday, March 21
Monday, March 23
Tuesday, March 24
Friday, March 27
Saturday, March 28
Monday, March 30
Monday, March 30
Tuesday, March 31
Wednesday, April 1
Thursday, April 2
Friday, April 3
Friday, April 3
Saturday, April 4
Monday, April 6
Tuesday, April 7
Wednesday, April 8
Thursday, April 9
Saturday, April 11
Sunday, April 12
Monday, April 13
Tuesday, April 14
Wednesday, April 15
Thursday, April 16
Wednesday, April 15
Friday, April 17
Saturday, April 18
Monday, April 20
Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, April 22
Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, April 22
Thursday, April 23
Saturday, April 25
Sunday, April 26
Saturday, April 25
Sunday, April 26
Saturday, April 25
Sunday, April 26
Sunday, April 26
