IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION extending the County’s current mask mandate order for the health and safety of its citizens until October 7, 2021.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 20749, August 30, 2021
INTRODUCED BY Jalen Anderson, Crystal Williams, Tony Miller, and Scott Burnett, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, Executive Order 21-07 issued by Governor Mike Parson, declaring a State of Emergency to Assist Continued COVID-19 Recovery, is set to expire on August 31, 2021; and,
WHEREAS, on August 6, in response to the increased health risk posed to Jackson County citizens evidenced by the Report Supporting Order for Mask Wearing in Public Places provided by the Jackson County Health Department pursuant to section 67.625, RSMo, the County Executive, the Director of the Health Department, and the County’s Emergency Management Coordinator issued a renewed mask mandate (hereinafter “Renewed Public Health Order”) that will expire on September 7, 2021, a copy of which is attached hereto; and,
WHEREAS, the Renewed Public Health Order encourages vaccination and requires individuals five years of age and older to wear a face covering or mask in places of public accommodation; and,
WHEREAS, COVID-19 spreads among people who are in contact with one another or present in shared spaces and a gathering of individuals without necessary mitigation for the spread of infection will pose a risk of the spread of infectious disease; and
WHEREAS, the state of Missouri is experiencing another wave of new COVID-19 cases, fueled by low rates of full vaccination (currently 44.3% of residents), the spread of a more pervasive and virulent strain variant (the Delta Variant), and COVID-19 hot spots in urban centers across Missouri and southeast Missouri; and,
WHEREAS, area hospitals, including Children’s Mercy Hospital, serving the citizens of Jackson County are experiencing high levels of COVID-related admissions, placing them at or near capacity limits, suggesting the Delta variant’s transmission and infection rates in adolescents and children are more severe than previously anticipated; and,
WHEREAS, as of August 25, 2021, the Jackson County Health Department reported 34,923 total cases of COVID-19 and 431 cases of COVID-19-related deaths in Eastern Jackson County (the area outside of Kansas City, Missouri, and Independence, Missouri); and,
WHEREAS, on August 25, 2021, the Jackson County Health Department reported approximately 43% of Eastern Jackson County residents were fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and that 49% have been administered at least one vaccine dose; and,
WHEREAS, on August 23, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for prevention of COVID-19 disease, with additional vaccine options still available under a prior emergency use authorization; and,
WHEREAS, compelling data demonstrates that community mask wearing is an effective nonpharmacologic intervention to reduce the spread of COVID-19 infection, especially as source control to prevent spread from infected persons, but also as protection to reduce wearers’ exposure to infection; and,
WHEREAS, on July 27, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued new guidance, recommending all vaccinated individuals (in addition to its previous recommendation for unvaccinated individuals) in “substantial” or “high” transmission areas, with either more than fifty cases per 100,000 people in the area over a seven-day period, or with a COVID-19 test positivity rate higher than 5%, wear masks indoors; and,
WHEREAS, as of August 25, 2021, the CDC classifies Jackson County, and every county adjacent to Jackson County in both Missouri and Kansas, as high transmission areas; and,
WHEREAS, medical professionals recommended a return to masks indoors in July 2021, based on the positivity rate for COVID-19 cases in Missouri and the increase in hospitalizations; and,
WHEREAS, on August 26, 2021, the Jackson County Health Department, pursuant to section 67.625, RSMo, submitted an updated report to the Legislature outlining the need for and recommending an extension of the mask mandate; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Renewed Public Health Order be and hereby is extended until October 7, 2021.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
________________________________ ________________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 20749 of August 30, 2021, was duly passed on August 30, 2021 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _______6__________ Nays ______3________
Abstaining _____0________ Absent _____0_______
_________________ ________________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature