KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Stay-at-home orders are now issued in both Kansas and Missouri with the goal of stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
Health officials in Wyandotte County believe not enough people are doing their part, so they added stiffer penalties -- such as violators now being subject to a $500 fine for not following the order.
According to the county, officials are concerned because its population is uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the number of residents with underlying conditions and without health insurance.
While playgrounds are empty, some residents like Ricky Payne, of Kansas City, Kansas, still are seeing people disobey the order.
"I see a lot of young boys out shooting, playing basketball like they don’t care,” Payne said.
The county also is concerned by the number of clustered cases, mostly from religious activities. Last week, the county said people who attended the Kansas East Jurisdiction 2020 Ministers and Workers Conference might have been exposed to COVID-19.
As of Sunday, there have been 161 COVID-19 cases with six deaths, which has been a steady increase since the first reported case on March 12.
Dr. Allen Greiner, Chief Medical Officer with the Unified Government, estimated the peak of the outbreak is still weeks away.
“We are in the early days of this outbreak,” Greiner said in a press release
The Unified Government urged its residents to report any business or person who is not following the stay-at-home order to a special Kansas City, Kansas, phone line at 913-225-4788.
