Fellow Residents:
The last 24 hours have brought even more change in these unprecedented times.
Late yesterday afternoon (Saturday), the Core Four (Johnson, Wyandotte and Jackson Counties, as well as the city of Kansas City, Missouri) issued a joint press release and Stay at Home Orders. These Orders take effect Tuesday, March 24th at 12:01am. The Order is for 30 days. This action was done after a great deal of thoughtful discussion about the health and safety of residents throughout the metro area.
As was noted in the press release and re-emphasized in today’s press conference, these measures are about saving lives and slowing the spread of the virus. We still have a chance in the metro to “flatten the curve” more than the coasts for a variety of reasons, and we must all do our part as residents. Thank you for your help.
So what does this mean as a Mission Hills resident?
The Order asks all but Essential Services (Businesses) to cease in-person operations. Importantly, grocery, drug and hardware stores will remain open. Services needed for the maintenance, safety and sanitation of residences will continue (for example services like plumbing, HVAC, construction, cleaning and landscaping to name a few). Restaurants may still provide “to-go” and curbside services. Businesses that can function from the home may continue.
Additionally, residents anywhere in the metro do not need any type of documentation to go to the above businesses, or to Essential Business. As Mayor Lucas said in an interview this morning, “This is about all of us doing the right thing, and we hope everyone will self-police.”
For your reference, a link to the Johnson County order can be found here:
https://jocogov.org/sites/default/files/documents/CMO/JoCo%20Public%20Health%20Officer%20Stay%20at%20Home%20Order%203-22-20.pdf
A link to the Johnson County Q&A pages can be found here:
https://www.jocogov.org/coronavirus-covid-19-update
Johnson County has established a hotline for questions - 913-715-CV19 – which is available 7am to 7pm Monday through Friday.
Importantly, outdoor activities, while maintaining social distancing protocols, are absolutely allowed. As was emphasized by one of the health directors at the press conference today, moderate exercise has tremendous benefits for physical health, in particular the immune system. Please walk safely in our City during this challenging time! If you do need to drive, there will likely be more walkers than normal with most everyone staying at home, so please accommodate the extra walkers and runners!
Finally, we continue to monitor the other elements of public safety with rigor. The staff and I are in touch with Chiefs Lopez and Schwartzkopf almost daily and their emergency and co-operative plans are functioning well. As always, feel free to call the non-emergency police dispatch line at 913-642-5151 if you see anything usual, and never hesitate to call 911 with any emergency situation.
Thank you for your support, please do not hesitate to contact City Hall at 913-362-9620, or me directly at mayor@missionhillsks.gov, with any questions. And I will leave you today with a Mark Twain quote that builds on what we can do for each other in this challenging time:
“Good exercise for the heart: reach out and help your neighbor.”