Representatives of the Core-Four  local governments including the city of Kansas City Missouri, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Johnson Counties in Kansas and Jackson County Missouri just concluded a press conference at Union Station outlining the provisions of the March 21st stay-at-home order issued to fight the growing cases of Corona Virus COVID-19.

Additional local counties not in attendance today include Leavenworth County on the Kansas side and Clay, Platte, and Cass counties in Missouri.

The Northeast News has learned Leavenworth County issued their stay at home order this morning. Clay, Platte and Cass Counties were expected to follow suit today or tomorrow.

The stay-at-home order will be issued at 12:01AM on Tuesday  March 24th  and extends 30 days, until April 23rd. The order mandates that only essential activities and essential businesses may continue to operate.

Examples of essential activity include going to a healthcare provider, going to a veterinarian with your pet, going to a grocery store to get food, or to purchase supplies to maintain your household.

Outdoor activities are not excluded as long as the 6-foot, social distancing orders are maintained.

Kansas City Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas noted that the stay-at-home order would largely be self-policed, indicating that no major paradigm shift would take place as far as the police department is concerned. As for enforcement and fines, Mayor Lucas stated that the city’s 3-1-1 action center would be used for reporting businesses or people that were not properly observing the stay-at-home order.

Essential business examples include grocery stores, doctors offices and hospitals, farms, gas stations, banks, hardware stores, businesses engaged in the delivery of supplies to essential businesses, and educational institutions so that they may initiate distance learning.

Trash collection and Municipal activities will also continue. Extensions for income tax filings have been extended on the state and federal level. The city of Kansas City Missouri is also considering enacting an extension on the filing of earnings tax returns. Also extended are any vehicle licensing through local Department of Motor Vehicle offices.

“I encourage everyone to be responsible,” said Mayor Lucas. “There’s no need to go out and horde there’s no need to go out and fight others.”  but more than anything let’s make sure we’re taking care of each other, whether that’s someone across the street or across the state line. We’re all in this together.”

For more details on today’s order that takes effect Tuesday at 12:01AM, visit the city’s website at kcmo.gov. 

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is operating a hotline for residents and health care providers to call for information and guidance about COVID-19.

The statewide hotline number is 877-435-8411. The hotline is being operated by medical professionals and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.