Tuesday 9 p.m. COVID-19 update

RECAP OF THE DAY’S PROCEEDINGS.A PARENT IN OLATHE CHALLENGESTHE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S POLICYTHAT STUDENTS WEAR MASKS IN THECLASSROOM ARGUMENTS WERE HEARDON BOTH SIDES IN A HEARINGTODAY.KMBC9S JACKSON KURTZ TELLS USHOW IT ALL UNFOLDED.GOOD AFTERNOON, PETER MADISON,NOT HURT.NOBODY FOR SOME PARENTS INOLATHE KIDS WEARING MASKS IN THECLASSROOM HAS BEEN HELPFUL ANDSTOPPING THE SPREAD OF THEVIRUS.I DON’T SEE IT HAVING ANY HARM,BUT OTHERS HAVE DISAGREED.BASED ON THIS, BUT I DIDN’T HEARA LOT OF FACT AT THE OLATHESCHOOL DISTRICT.MASK MANDATE HEARING TUESDAY,ONE PARENT SHARED HIS CONCERNSAND WHY HE SAYS MASKS DON’T WORKSAYING THEY MAKE HIS SON HAVEHEADACHES.HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ARGUED FORTHE DISTRICT THAT MASK IN FACTDO WORK REDUCE WITHOUT THATOLATHE THE PARENTS WE SPOKE WITHAGREED WITH DISTRICT OFFICIALSFEEL LIKE IT IS THING THAT THESCHOOLS HAVE DONE THAT HASREALLY SHOWN TO KEEP THE KIDSSAFE AFTER HEARING FROM BOTHSIDES.THE OLATHE SCHOOL BOARD WILLMAKE THEIR DECISION ON ITS MASKPOLICY IN SEVEN DAYS.UNFORTUNATELY POLITICS IN OLATHETHIS TIME IS HEARING IS A GERMANTHING JACKSON KURTZ.KMBC9 NEWS.THE HEARING IN OLATHE WAS ONE OFSEVERAL IN KANSAS FOLLOWINGSENATE BILL 40 WHICH GIVESPEOPLE THE ABILITY.TO PETITION SCHOOL BOARDS TOCOMPLAIN ABOUT THE SAFETYPROTOCOLS THE BLUE VALLEY SCHOOLDISTRICT WILL HOLD A VIRTUALHEARING ON ITS MASKED MANDATETOMORROW MORNING AT 7:30 THEDISTRICT ABRUPTLY CANCELED.TODAY’S IN-PERSON MEETING AFTERA MAN REFUSED TO WEAR A MASK ATFIRST DISTRICT LEADERS TOLDEVERYONE TO LEAVE THE ROOM.TO LEAVE JUST ANNOYED A LOT OFPEOPLE A LOT OF PEOPLE REARRANGETHEIR SCHEDULES AND IT’S JUSTSHOWS HOW SOMEONE GET AWAY WITHFOOLISHNESS IS MY OPINION.I’LL LINK TO TOMORROW’S VIRTUALMEETING IS ON THE DISTRICT’SWEBSITE A NEW LAW IN KANSASREQUIRES SCHOOLS TO SCHOOLDISTRICTS TO GIVE PARENTS THEOPTION OF FULL-TIME IN-PERSONLEARNING AND IT ONLY APPLIES TOTHE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR EVERYSCHOOL IN THE STATE HAS ALREADYRETURNED TO IN-PERSON LEARNINGDUE TO DECREASING COVID-19 CASENUMBERS.NEW TONIGHT, MISSOURI REPORTSITS FIRST CONFIRMED CASE OF THESOUTH AFRICAN COVID-19 VARIANTTHE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.IT’S A PERSON IN JACKSON COUNTYKANSAS ANNOUNCED ITS FIRST CASEON FRIDAY IN FINNEY COUNTY ATTHIS POINT.THERE’S NO EVIDENCE THE SOUTHAFRICAN VARIANT CAUSES MORESEVERE DISEASE COMPARED TO THEORIGINAL STRAIN TONIGHT 137 NEWCASES OF COVID-19 WERE REPORTEDIN THE KANSAS CITY METRO THEAVERAGE NUMBER OF DAILY NEWHOSPITALIZATIONS IS UP SLIGHTLY.HERE’S A LOOK AT THE NEW CASESOVER THE LAST SEVEN DAYS UNDER 9COUNTY AREA THE MOST IN JOHNSONCOUNTY, KANSAS FOLLOWED BYKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, DOUGLASCOUNTY, KANSAS.HAS ABOUT 1900 OPENINGS FOR ITSMASS VACCINATION CLINIC TOMORROWTHE DRIVE-THRU CLINIC AS THE ATTHE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS ANYONE 16OR OLDER IS ELIGIBLE.YOU CAN MAKE AN APPOINTMENT BYENTERING THIS CODE ON YOURSCREEN A 2 8 THE WEBSITE ON YOURSCREEN RATHER REGISTRATION IS ONA FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.STATES ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE ALLADULTS ELIGIBLE FOR COVID-19VACCINES BY APRIL 19TH.THAT IS THE NEW DEADLINEPRESIDENT.JOE BIDEN HAS SET THE PRESIDENTSAYS BY THE END OF MAY THE VASTMAJORITY OF AMERICAN ADULTS WILLHAVE HAD AT LEAST THEIR FIRSTDOSE OF THE VACCINE.AS I SAID BEFORE WE CAN HAVE ASAFE.HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY.WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ANDSMALL GROUPS IN YOUR BACKYARD.REAL QUESTION IS HOW MUCH DEATHDISEASE AND MISERY ARE WE GOINGTO SEE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN?FRIDAY MISSOURI WILL OPEN UPVACCINE ELIGIBILITY TO ANYONEOVER THE AGE OF 16 ANYONE OVERTHE AGE OF 16 IN KANSAS ISALREADY ELIGIBLE FOR SHOT.MORE PEOPLE GET VACCINATED MANYCOMPANIES ARE STARTING TO THINKABOUT BRINGING THEIR EMPLOYEESBACK TO THE OFFICE, BUT THE BIGQUESTIONS ARE WHEN AND HOWKMBC9S ALAN SHOPE HAS ANSWERSFROM AN EXPERT.THIS IS A COMPLETETRANSFORMATION OF AMERICANBUSINESS LIFE ACCORDING TONATIONAL BUSINESS.RESEARCHERS LIKE PROFESSORSHELDON JACOBSON, THE OFFICEWORKPLACE IS GOING TO LOOKDIFFERENT.IT COULD BE SOME EXTRA SPACING.IT COULD BE PLEXIGLASS.HE SAYS EACH COMPANY WILL MAKETHEIR OWN CHANGES AND NOT JUSTVISUALLY THEY IN FACT HAVE THEWORKDAY EXTENDED TO A 24-HOURPERIOD WHERE PEOPLE WORK INSHIPS BECAUSE HE SAID YEAH,WE’RE WORK.THEY COMPRESSES 24 HOURS INTOEIGHT HOURS WHERE EVERYBODY ISCONGREGATING BY SPREADING ITOUT.YOU’RE PUTTING LESS STRAIN INLARGE OFFICE BUILDINGS.THE OLDEN SAYS JUST SOME OF THEIDEAS ARE PONDERING AS THEYEMPLOYEES RETURN TO WORK WORK ISMORE THAN JUST DOING TASKS.IT’S THE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS.IT’S THE SOCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS.HE SAYS WORKING REMOTELY FORSOME BUSINESSES HAS OPENED NEWOPPORTUNITIES.WE’VE LEARNED THAT IT’S POSSIBLETHAT MANY COMPANIES HAVEACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAINTHEIR OPERATIONS QUITE WELL.HE SAYS ULTIMATELY COMPANIESWILL NEED TO MAKE SURE THE WORKENVIRONMENT IS SAFE AND THE IT’SFEEL SAFE FOR RETURNING TO IT.EVERYBODY HAS TO LOOK AT THEIROWN RISK SITUATION AND PEOPLEHAVE TO TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITYFOR WHAT THEY WANT TO ASSUME INRISK IN KANSAS CITY ALAN SCHILL.JACOBSON SAYS SOME OLDER WORKERSMIGHT CONSIDER REALLY RETIREMENTRATHER THAN RETURNING TO THEOFFICE AND HE SAYS