“Mayor Q” is a masked man about town. He frequently tweets pictures like these day and night.
(KANSAS CITY, MO) – Quentin Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, announced last week an extension of the city’s State of Emergency declaration through mid-January. The extension is specifically related to the mask mandate which was implemented in June.
In an official city press release, Mayor Lucas said that until a vaccine is available, “COVID-19 is here to stay,” adding:
“Mask-wearing, social distancing and basic hygiene continue to be the most effective way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and we appreciate all who take their personal responsibility to protect their family, friends and neighbors seriously. I will continue to work with Dr. Archer and our City health leaders to take any decisive action necessary—especially as we head into the fall and winter months—to best protect our community.”
Dr. Rex Archer, Kansas City’s Health Director, said “COVID-19 is not going away over the next five months,” and the city will be “confronting this health emergency” into the fall and winter months.
As of writing time, Kansas City, with a population of just under 500,000 people, has reported 7,719 COVID-19 cases to date – about 1.5% of the city’s population. There have also been 87 deaths reported, which puts the known Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 1%.
NOTE: While the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) only measures known positive cases, the total Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) will naturally be much lower based serology average estimates, typically around 4% average (globally, this may be on the lower end of estimates for defined regional areas) antibody prevalence based on US academic and CDC sero-prevalence surveys – which would place the likely IFR for Kansas City at around 0.42%. The IFR would likely drop even further after T-Cell immunity is also factored in, a variable which has already been confirmed in multiple studies here, here and here.
The hardest hit age group in terms of deaths reported is over the age of 60 years old. No person under the age of 30 years old has died, according to the city’s COVID-19 health dashboard.
21WIRE reported back in April how the Kansas City metropolitan area continued its ‘Corona Shutdown’ despite a lower than expected outbreak.
Masks as Political, Fashion Statements
Lucas, or “Mayor Q” as his Twitter handle suggests, could be considered among the ‘wokest’ of mayors in the U.S. The area’s local monthly newspaper, The Pitch, openly promoted a mask Lucas wore in public (pictured below) on social media asking “Wanna be cool like Q?” of its readers.
Even the Kansas City region’s metropolitan planning organization of record, Mid-America Regional Council, couldn’t resist fawning over one of Lucas’ recent masked selfies in this tweet:
Back in the heart of the region in downtown @KCMO. @QuintonLucasKC was gracious enough to fit me in yesterday for an observation deck selfie since his schedule is packed today. It’s a bit of a #CityHallSelfie Day cheat, but in #localgov the work comes first. pic.twitter.com/jbwr9PArUS
— MARCKCMetro (@MARCKCMetro) August 14, 2020
The mayor’s decision to keep Kansas City masked-up until at least mid-January of 2021 came on the heels of the Democratic Party’s long-awaited announcement of its Vice Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris. During her first public appearance as the VP pick, Harris joined Presidential nominee Joe Biden in calling for a nationwide mask mandate.
Mask wearing as a political statement took center stage earlier this week at the Democratic Party’s 2020 National Convention.
For months, public officials pushing mask mandates have claimed it’s not a political issue. Now, it appears the policy is front and center in the political discourse both nationally and locally heading into the November U.S. Presidential election.
Mayor Lucas Plays ‘Covid Cop’ at Night
In a tweet sent out from Lucas’ account last weekend, he said he’s been conducting his own “Do your job” tours in bar districts across the city.
Walked around in my own neighborhood tonight. The informal spread I’ve talked about is a real challenge. Need support of event organizers, even outdoors as well. Also issue with security, which was covered/paid only until 8, both KCPD and private. Big crowd out still. pic.twitter.com/CSUczuSGek
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) August 17, 2020
Lucas also revealed his findings in an interview with the Kansas City Star:
“There was one establishment I went to that appeared to be following absolutely no protections in the slightest,” and “several other places had what appeared to be full-fledged dance parties inside.”
Shortly after the masked mayor’s weekend investigation, a new “Coronavirus in Kansas City” dashboard appeared to have launched on the city’s website, pictured below.
The new dashboard promises a “focus to helping our community better understand the trends that impact policy decisions related to COVID-19, as well as health equity issues that have been amplified by this virus.”
It includes new reports that break out cases by “generational groups” and deaths and hospitalizations by race and ethnicity. The new dashboard no longer displays deaths by age group.
READ MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Coronavirus Files
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