KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man in his 40s who recently traveled abroad is the 16th person in Missouri to test positive for the coronavirus, health officials said.
The man is doing well and is in isolation at his home, while his family is in quarantine, Jackson County health officials announced late Tuesday. It was the second case in the county that includes Kansas City.
Missouri health officials have reported cases of COVID-19 in Boone, Cass, Cole, Greene, Henry, Jackson and St. Louis counties, as well as one case in the city of St. Louis.
The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for most people, but severe illness is more likely in the elderly and people with existing health problems. Worldwide, COVID-19 has killed over 7,800 people so far, while more than 80,000 have recovered.
Cerner spokeswoman Misti Preston said the company asked anyone who had contact with the individual to self quarantine and closed its sprawling campus in south Kansas City for deep cleaning.
Cerner, a health care technology company, has 14,000 employees on campuses in the Kansas City region.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) —Missouri's health department on Tuesday reported 15 positive cases of coronavirus as state and local governments took additional steps to limit large gatherings in an attempt stem the virus' spread.
The agency has reported cases of COVID-19 in Boone, Cass, Cole, Greene, Henry, Jackson and St. Louis counties, as well as one case in the city of St. Louis.
Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday ordered the closure of Missouri's 13 casinos as of midnight through March 30. Meanwhile, some nonviolent jail inmates are being freed to reduce the risk of transmission behind bars.
The news came the same day that neighboring Kansas announced it was closing state-owned casinos through March 30. Illinois closed casinos on Monday for at least two weeks.
Missouri Gaming Commission Chairman Mike Leara said the impact of the shutdown could mean up to $1 million a day in lost revenue for the state. He said once local governments began taking actions in recent days to limit public gatherings to no more than 50, it became apparent that the casinos couldn’t remain open.
Leara said he felt especially bad for the thousands of casino workers in Missouri.
“These people, they love their jobs, they make good money,” Leara said. “Man, that’s really tough to tell them they can’t come to work.”
The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for most people, but severe illness is more likely in the elderly and people with existing health problems. Worldwide, COVID-19 has killed over 7,800 people so far, while more than 80,000 have recovered.
Across the state, other steps were being taken to protect people from the virus.
St. Louis city and county officials jointly announced that effective midnight Thursday, restaurants and bars are prohibited from offering dine-in service. Kansas City enacted a similar ban that began Tuesday.
Columbia Mayor Brian Treece said to expect an order from the city's public health director Tuesday directing bars and restaurants in the college town to cut their capacity in half or limit occupants to 50 people, including staff.
At St. Louis' Gateway Arch, the visitor center, museum and grounds remained open, but the tram that transports visitors to the top of the Arch was shut down until further notice.
At St. Louis City Hall, visitors were being scanned for fevers before entering the building. The scan involved non-contact infrared thermometers. St. Louis Circuit Court suspended all jury trials through April 10.
Meanwhile, the top prosecutors in St. Louis city and county took actions to ease jail crowding and reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement that anyone arrested for a nonviolent crime who does not appear to pose a threat will be released with a summons to appear in court, rather than be jailed. People already housed at the county justice center awaiting trial will be considered for release if they are accused of a nonviolent or “low-level” crime, Bell said.
The decision is part of a cooperative agreement between his office, judges, the county health department and other county entities, Bell said.
Bell, who took office in January 2019, has made reducing the jail population a priority and said the population has fallen by 30% since he took office.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said detention will be sought only for suspects who pose a threat to public safety. She also said her office is seeking “cash bail alternatives” and is taking steps to push back most court cases for 60 days to reduce courtroom contact during the health crisis.
Parson said decisions on releasing nonviolent inmates are up to local officials.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Another case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in western Missouri, bringing the state's total to eight.
Cass County health officials announced late Monday that a patient is in self-isolation in Drexel, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Kansas City. No other information was released.
Two other new cases were announced Monday, one in St. Louis and the other in Greene County in southwest Missouri.
Also Monday, a state appeals court ruled against St. Louis County Election Board's request to move the county's April 7 election to a later date although the judges said they might reconsider.
A three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District said the coronavirus emergency makes the the county's request for an April 28 mail-in election “the best option under the circumstances” but state law doesn't allow the court to approve such requests, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus.
The Missouri judges also rejected the election board’s alternative request to move the election to the Aug. 4 state primary election. The judges indicated they could reconsider if another date was sought.
Eric Fey, the election board’s Democratic director, said the board would meet soon to consider how to respond to the decision.
The Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities on Monday were discussing moving the April 7 election to June 2.
“I understand it’s up to each individual county, but it would be nice to be unified in this decision, to save confusion for the voters,” said Lincoln County Clerk Crystal Hall in an email Monday to other local election officials. “We are in scary, uncertain times. The health of our poll workers and residents is our number one concern.”
Hall said a draft request to the courts was being prepared by election officials in Springfield and suburban Kansas City.
Missouri law allows state appeals court panels to move an election if a “disaster” prevents one from being held.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said the April 7 election is on schedule but he has an “open, ongoing dialogue” with local authorities and is “discussing different scenarios that may occur over the next several weeks."
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson on Monday announced the first case of coronavirus in the city, raising the total number of cases in Missouri to seven.
Krewson said the person is in their twenties, immediately received medical treatment and self-isolated. St. Louis Director of Health Dr. Fredrick Echols said the individual had traveled to a country where COVID-19 is spreading, landed at an out-of-state airport and then drove to St. Louis.
“No other individuals are at risk from developing COVID-19 from this individual, again because they followed the instructions that were given to them by the city of St. Louis Department of Health,” Echols said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson earlier Monday had announced the state's sixth case, this one in Greene County in southwestern Missouri.
Across the state, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas banned gatherings of more than 10 people and visits to nursing and retirement homes. He announced all public and private schools in the city must close no later than Wednesday and must remain closed until the emergency declaration is lifted.
Lucas also said entire households must self-isolate if anyone in the home tests positive for the virus and are encouraged to do so if anyone starts showing symptoms of coronavirus.
He said bars and restaurants must only serve carry-out or delivery.
St. Louis-area leaders also recommended that all K-12 schools close by Wednesday at the latest until further notice. Krewson said in a tweet that officials from the city and surrounding counties, including St. Clair and Madison Counties in Illinois, expected to decide soon whether to require the mandatory closure of bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
Parson said Missouri should be able to conduct thousands of tests per day for the coronavirus and deploy mobile testing sites throughout the state on or around April 1.
Parson and Dr. Randall Williams, the director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said during a news conference that the state's criteria will change from travel-related and the most severe cases to trying to find people with coughs and fevers of 104 degrees.
“The good news for the time being is that help is on the way,” Parson said. “I think we’re going to be able to see a lot more on the testing side of it that will reassure the people of the state. I think you’ll also see mobile testing sites in different areas around the state” particularly in areas that currently struggle with access to health care.
The governor said state officials are currently following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in reference to whether to close schools, businesses and higher learning facilities, but he noted the situation is fluid and could change.
Parson on Sunday strongly encouraged the cancellation or suspension of public events with more than 50 people following federal health officials' recommendations that those events be halted in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
He said Monday that he is aware of the impact this could have on businesses and the economy, but that public safety must be the state's top priority.
“Missouri has been through tough times before and we're going to get through these,” Parson said. “... Right now we're just asking people to help as much as they can help and (to) try to be responsible.”
On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court suspended nearly all in-person proceedings in appellate and circuit courts through at least April 3. The order also includes associate, family, juvenile, municipal and probate divisions, with some exceptions. The court said the order would be extended “if circumstances warrant.”
The court said in a news release that the presiding judges in the state's 46 judicial circuits and chief judges in the three districts of the appeals court will decide how exceptions to the order will be conducted. Judges in those proceedings will have discretion to excuse jurors or other individuals who cannot or should not appear because of the virus.
The court said its order doesn't affect its ability to consider or rule on matters that don't require in-person proceedings.
St. Louis' circuit court on Monday canceled jury trials through April 10 and encouraged judges to use videoconferencing for court appearances.
Also Monday, the Missouri State High School Activities Association canceled semifinal and championship boys and girls basketball games that had been scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Springfield.
The vast majority of people recover from the coronavirus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild cases recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe ones can take three to six weeks get well.