After a vote by the city council, Kansas City, Missouri has reinstated its mask mandate for K-12 school children.
The Council overwhelmingly voted in favor of restoring a school mask requirement. It will be reinstated next week and continue until February 3, 2022.
Nearly 1% of Kansas City’s population was affected by COVID in the week that ended January 1. Missouri had a record 12,264 cases Wednesday.
In a press conference before the council meeting, Lucas stated that passing the ordinance would be responsible for keeping children safe and allowing them to attend school in person.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has placed Kansas City in jeopardy over the ordinance. He announced Wednesday that he will sue St. Louis County because it has reinstituted its mask mandate. The order by St. Louis County required masks in all indoor facilities that house individuals over five years old. It was more stringent than Kansas City’s.
This is despite the fact that Dr. Anthony Fauci acknowledged that the omicron variant has a decreased severity, citing preliminary data.
Multiple sources of preliminary data suggest a decrease in severity with Omicron. Fauci stated that it is not permissible to reduce the recommendations. This includes wearing masks.
