Does Kansas City’s mask mandate affect the Garth Brooks concert? Here’s what we know

The new Kansas City mask mandate has raised questions about what safety measures apply to the heavily-anticipated Garth Brooks concert next week.

Arrowhead Stadium is expected to receive more than 58,000 people for the sold-out concert on Aug. 7.

Several readers asked The Star how the new mandate and safety guidance will affect the concert, which is at an outdoor venue.

Here’s what we know:

Current guidance from Arrowhead states that masks are not required at the stadium but they are “recommended for guests who are not fully vaccinated.” Additionally unvaccinated staff members “will be directed to wear a mask,” according to the stadium’s website.

The new Kansas City mandate issued this week requires masks to be worn in any indoor space of public accommodation, such as service establishments, grocery and retail stores, special events, public transit, and schools.

But, Kansas City-area hospitals and public health officials recently issued a joint statement recommending that people who have been vaccinated should still wear masks in crowded outdoor settings where they are likely to be in close contact with people who are not fully vaccinated.

After ticket purchase, fans are presented with a message warning attendees that they assume all risks of contracting any communicable disease or illness, including COVID-19.

According to Kansas’ quarantine list, “those who are attending out of state mass gatherings where there are 500 or more people and there is not social distancing and mask wearing, should quarantine unless they are fully vaccinated or have had previous COVID-19 disease.”

No such guidance exists for the state of Missouri.

What are other COVID safety precautions?

Working with city officials, the Chiefs are making plans to have a COVID-19 vaccination site at Arrowhead Stadium when country music star performs. Meanwhile, guidance on masks has been shifting as the delta variant surges across southwest Missouri and across the U.S.

Besides the mask recommendations, Arrowhead stadium has other measures to promote the safety of their guests.

High-touch areas are being sanitized before, during and after events with hospital grade disinfectants, the Arrowhead website says.

Hand sanitizer will be available in various points of the stadium for guests and staff members. For those who want to grab a bite at events, limited concessions are available with the option of contactless experiences such as self-checkout and order pickup.

To avoid direct contact, all concessions, retail points of sale and parking tollbooths are cashless.

Katie Bernard contributed reporting.