On June 16, a number of changes will go into effect in Clay County, Missouri regarding business occupancy limits, mass gatherings and pools. All other parts of the May 31 Public Health Emergency Order will remain the same.

The following changes will become effective on June 16th:

All business and organizations, occupancy restrictions are relaxed to 50% of the entity’s authorized building/fire code occupancy.
Gatherings including but not limited to, religious services, weddings, funerals of 50% of listed occupancy may continue provided physical distancing is maintained.
Relaxing the maximum allowable attendance at mass gatherings to 250 provided physical distancing is maintained.
Public/Neighborhood Association Pools are limited to 50% of the bather load within the pool enclosure

The Clay County Public Health Center reminds residents that this framework is built upon the guidance outlined in National Coronavirus Response: A road map to reopening by the American Enterprise Institute. Although outlined as a state-level response, the principles and approaches largely apply to community-level decision making. They re-iterated that it is important to recognize communities, businesses and residents for their dedication and collaboration to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through these challenging times. How quickly and effectively communities can reopen is directly related to the spread of COVID-19, which depends on the community’s response. When all rules and guidance in each step are followed, the likelihood for a more rapid reopening occurs.

More details related to rules and regulations related to re-opening can be found in the County of Clay Public Health Emergency Order.

KPGZ News - Jim Dickerson contributed to this report