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‘We simply can’t wait’: Prairie Village leaders urge mask mandate as COVID cases rise

Prairie Village city officials are considering re-installing a mask mandate as coronavirus numbers continue to rise and leadership across the Kansas City metro area increasingly turn to masking again.

At a city council meeting Monday, councilwoman Jori Nelson motioned to draft a mandate that would require masks be worn in public indoor settings in Prairie Village. Some council members asked that the draft include all schools in the mandate.

The city council voted 8-2 in favor of the motion, with Sheila Myers and Courtney McFadden voting no. Whether or not to install a mask mandate will be voted on at a later date.

Last week, the CDC recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors, including in schools, in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, including in Missouri and Kansas.

Johnson County ended its mask mandate in April, and since then has strongly encouraged unvaccinated residents to wear them.

The Johnson County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote Thursday on whether to issue a new countywide mask mandate. McFadden said she voted no to Monday’s draft because she wanted to first see whether a countywide ordinance was enacted at Thursday’s commissioners meeting.

“Time is of the essence at this point,” Nelson said, citing rising case counts. “We simply can’t wait for the county, other municipalities, or the state legislature to do the right thing. It is our responsibility to keep our residents and our workforce safe.”

On Tuesday, Johnson County’s incidence rate — the number of new cases per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks — was 300. That’s up from a rate of 47 per 100,000 on June 3, according to the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment.

On that same day in June, the county’s positivity rate — the number of positive tests over the past 14 days — was 1.7%. On Saturday, the last day data was updated, it was 8.5%, the highest since January.

Since the pandemic began, Johnson County has recorded 49,677 cases, with 1,807 added in the past week. To date, 684 people have died of the virus in the county.

Councilwoman Piper Reimer, who seconded Nelson’s motion, said she believed the draft effort worthwhile, since it may not be the last time a mask mandate is needed.

Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson during Monday’s meeting said the draft language should be completed by the next city council meeting on Aug. 16, adding that it would be similar or identical to Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order previously handed down, which has since expired.

Beginning July 29, Prairie Village city workers were again required to wear masks in city buildings where social distancing wasn’t feasible. Nelson added that some city staffers have tested positive for COVID despite being fully vaccinated.

Kansas City returned to a mask mandate Monday.

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Last week, Sanmi Areola, Johnson County health director, continued to strongly encourage residents to wear masks as COVID-19 cases mount.

“A public health emergency is about doing for others what is best for everyone, not just for yourself,” Councilman Ronald Nelson said. “Unfortunately people, when they are encouraged or strongly encouraged to use masks, don’t. When they’re mandated to use masks, they do, simply because they are mandated.”

Councilman Chad Herring said while vaccination rates are high countywide compared to the rest of the metro, the CDC still considers Johnson County an area of high transmission risk.

In Johnson County, 61.7% of the population over the age of 12 have initiated vaccination, with 56.6% fully vaccinated, according to the county health department.

The majority of cases are among those who are not vaccinated.

Herring said he hopes county commissioners look closely at current data and consider a county-wide mandate, which he called “a worthwhile” tool to keep the virus under control.

He also moved to declare the position of the Prairie Village city council be one which urges individuals and businesses to follow updated CDC guidelines recommending masking indoors for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Myers was the only councilperson to oppose the declaration, which passed 9-1.

The Star’s Sarah Ritter contributed.