Today, in Johnson County, Missouri:

Mandatory Face Coverings Effective July 6 for Johnson County

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (July 1, 2020) – Johnson County has had a recent surge in confirmed positive COVID-19 cases. This has prompted Johnson County Community Health Services (JCCHS) to implement a face covering mandate. This order goes into effect beginning 12 a.m. on Monday, July 6, 2020.

The countywide order will continue for 21 days, expiring 12 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28. This timeline can be rescinded or extended as necessary.

The order requires individuals to wear a face covering in any indoor public location including but not limited to retail stores, grocery stores, offices, places of worship and restaurants/bars. Businesses can supply face coverings if they have the ability to provide them, but can require individuals to bring their own.

In addition, face coverings are required in outdoor public gathering places when social distancing is not an option.

As of June 30, 2020, Johnson County experienced a 32.8 percent increase of confirmed cases over a ten day period.

“The health, safety and wellness for our communities are our biggest priorities. The recent spike in numbers has caused us to implement additional safety precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Mary Thaut, JCCHS administrator. “We understand that wearing a face covering is not the most comfortable, but this is a necessary step to help keep our communities safe.

“We also understand the importance to our economy by keeping local businesses open. We want our community members to continue staying active. Requiring face coverings temporarily is an additional tool that each person can use to help protect each other. However, this should not replace other precautions such as social distancing.”

The need for face coverings is based on the percentage of those who are unaware they have COVID-19.

Research shows that 25 to 80 percent of individuals are asymptomatic. They do not know they are carrying the active virus. This allows the coronavirus to spread more rapidly, making it more important to wear a face covering to protect those around them.

[….]

Gee, right after the holiday weekend. What could possibly go wrong before then?