The City of Harrisonville is committed to the health and safety of the public and will maintain this commitment, as we transition out of the State of Missouri and Cass County Health Department Stay at Home Order.
Harrisonville businesses have played a crucial role in limiting the spread of COVID-19 by making major alterations to their operations or closing completely during the Stay at Home orders issued by the State of Missouri and Cass County.
JUNE 11, 2020, UPDATE from Missouri Governor Mike Parson
On Thursday, Governor Mike Parson announced that Missouri will be moving into Phase 2 of the Missouri Show-Me Strong Recovery Plan on June 16.
During Phase 2, there will be no statewide health order. All statewide restrictions will be lifted, but local officials (like the Cass County Health Department) will still have the authority to put further rules, regulations, or ordinances in place.
"We must remember that COVID-19 is not gone. It is still extremely important for everyone to continue social distancing," Governor Parson said. "Be proactive. Avoid large, congested crowds, and if you can’t social distance, take extra precautions to protect yourself and those around you."
More information on the “Show Me Strong Recovery” Plan can be found at showmestrong.mo.gov.
On Monday, April 27, Governor Mike Parson implemented Phase I of his Missouri Show-Me Strong Recovery Order, which will be in effect from 12:01 a.m., Monday, May 4, 2020, through Sunday, May 31, 2020. Shortly after the Governor’s announcement, Cass County announced that they will be adopting and implementing the guidance from Phase I of the Governor Parson’s strategic reopening of Missouri’s economy. The order directs local public health authorities (Cass County Health Department) to carry out and enforce each provision of the order.
As part Phase I, Harrisonville businesses will be able to open on May 4, with modifications to their normal operations.
“During Phase I of the plan, citizens may begin returning to economic and social activities but must adhere to social-distancing requirements, including maintaining six feet of space between individuals, in most cases,” Governor Parson said. “There are currently no limitations on social gatherings, as long as necessary precautions are taken, and six feet of distance can be maintained between individuals and/or families.”
We encourage all business operators and residents to read Governor Parson’s order, as well as the guidelines and frequently asked questions that can be found on the Governor’s website.
FREE COVID-19 TESTING FOR CASS COUNTY RESIDENTS
Free COVID-19 testing is now available for Harrisonville and other Cass County residents. Testing will be conducted on June 11-12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Raymore-Peculiar High School, located at 20801 S School Road, Peculiar, MO. Registration is required. For more information, please visit http://health.mo.gov/communitytest
While businesses in Harrisonville will be allowed to reopen on May 4, City facilities will remain closed until Monday, May 11, in an effort to ensure that all departments have put the proper safeguards in place to continue limiting the spread of COVID-19 in our community. The Harrisonville Community Center will also remain closed until May 11.
If you have Harrisonville-specific questions about Governor Mike Parson’s Missouri Show-Me Strong Recovery Order, we have created a resource to provide you with answers.
Both commercial tenants and residents will be able to email questions to hvillestrong@harrisonville.com or leave questions as a message at (816) 380-8965. Once a question is received, it will be quickly distributed to a select group of City officials who will respond with an answer in line with the Governor’s order.
This resource will be monitored closely but we do ask that you be patient while we work to get you an accurate and timely answer.
For restaurant owners and managers, both the State and the County require that customers, not including families, be seated at least six feet apart, in compliance with social-distancing requirements.
For those businesses with questions about how many people will be allowed inside a retail store, the State and County have provided a formula to help determine that number. These formulas will also apply to other places of social gathering, including event spaces, community centers and places of worship.
All retail establishments will be required to limit the number of individuals allowed inside
• For establishments less than 10,000 square feet: 25% or less of the fire or building code occupancy
• For establishments 10,000 square feet or more: 10% or less of the fire or building code occupancy
If you are unsure of your businesses’ fire or building code occupancy limitations, please calculate your occupancy limits based on the following formula:
For a business with a retail location less than 10,000 square feet:
• Building Square Feet divided by 30 = Quotient
• Quotient x .25 = Occupancy Limit
For a business with the retail location of 10,000 square feet or more:
• Building Square Feet divided by 30 = Quotient
• Quotient x .10 = Occupancy Limit
Examples:
• A 40,000 square foot grocery store would be able to have 133 customers in the store at any one time.
• An 8,000 square foot retail store would be able to have 66 customers in the store at any one time.
All square-footage measurements should be based only on the building’s footprint.
During this time, residents will still have access to all online City resources and are encouraged to take advantage of online City services including access to certain permits, business license applications, payment of City utility bills and court fines.
Checks or money orders can be mailed or left in the drop box located on the front of City Hall, located at 300 E Pearl Street. Credit or debit cards can be used to make payments online by selecting the online payment option or by phone by calling 1-833-227-1750. Residents may also set up Autopay, which will schedule a payment to draft directly from a checking account on the 15th of each month, without any additional fees.
Click here for more information about Autopay.
To encourage customers to maintain the Center for Disease Control’s social distancing recommendations, the City has (temporarily) removed the $4 credit card convenience charge for those customers paying online or by phone.
As May 11, approaches, more information about the reopening of City facilities will be provided.
Please be advised that the above-mentioned information and dates will be dependent upon the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, in our community, at that time.
The City of Harrisonville fully supports the Cass County Health Department’s decision to follow Governor Parson’s order. The CCHD is the county’s public health expert and authority, and the City of Harrisonville will continue to support their efforts to keep the community safe. Any questions about the Governor’s order that are not answered in this article or the FAQ sheet may be directed to the CCHD.
The City asks members of our community to be diligent in the cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas and to take measures to facilitate proper social distancing (six feet apart).
Click here for more information about preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Harrisonville.
Residents should stay informed and ensure they are receiving information from reliable sources. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Cass County Health Department offer up-to-date information on their websites and social media. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has activated a 24/7 phone hotline for the public or providers to receive information or guidance related to COVID-19. The hotline is reached at 877-435-8411. A COVID-19 information page is available at www.harrisonville.com with prevention tips, CDC videos and links to reliable information sources.
Please continue to monitor the City website, social media pages and community engagement tools, such as Nixle, for updates on the situation, as it pertains to City facilities.
To sign up to have City information sent directly to your mobile phone or email, we recommend residents register for Nixle. As a resident, there are three simple ways to register:
1. Text your ZIPCODE to 888-777 from your mobile phone.
2. Go to www.nixle.com, enter your ZIPCODE in the search bar, and then on the next page, click the Sign Up button.
3. Using the widget at the bottom of the www.harrisonville.com home page.
Once registered, residents will receive a confirmation text to their mobile device. Residents may also customize their alert settings by going to www.nixle.com and creating a User Profile.