KANSAS CITY – With COVID-19 numbers improving, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Clay County last week agreed to let bars bars and restaurants stay open until midnight, but masks and social distancing remain requirements.

Ray County had less severe restrictions and they remain unchanged.

Jackson County, Kansas City and surrounding jurisdictions told bar and restaurant owners in November to close at 10 p.m. to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“We’ve seen case rates for those who are ages 18-29 drop at almost 50%. Before that point, we had a crisis among those who are younger adults. We had a crisis because we saw crowds that were gathering at bars and at restaurants. Those interventions have worked,” Lucas said.

Also last week, area nursing home residents and health providers began receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, a process that will continue until the two-dose regimen has been followed.

Cumulative totals to date announced by the Clay County Public Health Center show there have been 232 deaths and 17,565 cases of COVID-19 in Clay County, which includes thousands of Kansas City residents.

Cumulative totals to date announced by the Ray County Health Department show there have been 17 deaths and 1,318 cases of COVID-19 countywide.