KIRX News

The Adair County Health Department today reported the 11th confirmed case of Coronavirus COVID-19 in the county since the beginning of the year. Five of those cases have recovered and have been released from isolation. Six cases remain active. The 11th case is a 76-year-old male who is in isolation. The case is not travel related. Health Department staff are working in coordination with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to determine any close contacts of these individuals who were
possibly exposed. If there were any, health officials will provide guidance to these individuals
and monitor them closely for the development of symptoms.

The Scotland County Health Department has confirmed the first positive case of the coronavirus. The person is in self-quarantine. Those in close contact with the patient have been contacted. Residents in Scotland County can also contact the county’s health department at 660-465-7275 to discuss risk assessment and possible testing.

RTS North LLC, the division of RTS Waste Services, LLC, contracted to provide waste services for the City of Kirksville, has suspended recycling collection for Kirksville residents until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, glass recycling collection WILL continue as normal. The facilities, which ultimately receive the collected recyclables, have closed due to the State of Missouri’s “Stay Home Missouri” order. For more information, please contact RTS Waste Services, LLC, at 660.784.2474.

Kirksville’s Spring Brush and Limb Pick Up got underway this week. Due to demand, the City will reopen the City Brush Site permanently beginning April 20, 2020, for a two-month trial period. The City Brush Site is located at 22376 State Highway 6 and is for Kirksville residents only. Anyone caught dumping who lives outside the City limits – or contractors dumping without a license – could face fines and / or penalties.

The shelter-in-place order for the City of Kirksville due to the COVID-19 pandemic is in effect and city leaders expect that you may have some questions. The entire ordinance authorizing the shelter-in-place order can be viewed on the city’s website at: www.kirksvillecity.com/shelterinplaceorder. You can also view guidance and frequently asked questions about Governor Mike Parson’s “Stay Home Missouri” order online at governor.mo.gov. Both the City’s shelter-in-place order, and the Governor’s guidance and frequently asked questions, are available along with other useful information on the City’s website at: www.kirksvillecity.com/covid-19. The City Council and City staff appreciate your cooperation with this shelter-in-place order.

The Macon County Health Department is happy to announce one of their positive cases of COVID-19 has officially been recovered. Recovered means they have experienced ALL 3 of the following requirements: They have gone 72 hours fever free, with no fever reducing medications; They have seen improvement of their respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath); It has been at least 7 days since symptoms began. For more information and daily updates, check our website at maconmohealth.org.

Linn County reported a second confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county this week. The specimen was tested by private laboratory. The patient is recovering in the care of Northeast Regional Hospital. No other information about the patient will be provided at this time. Local public health officials are working together to contain the spread of this virus, following guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. They are working to identify and contact people who may have come in contact with the individual while they were infectious and will monitor them as appropriate. You can get updates on the Linn County Health Department Facebook page.

The shelter-in-place order for the City of Kirksville due to COVID-19 is now in effect. The shelter-in-place order can be viewed online at: www.kirksvillecity.com/shelterinplaceorder.

If you are an essential business, an employee of an essential business, or engaged in an essential activity, it is not necessary to complete any paperwork for the City. However, the shelter-in-place order asks essential businesses to provide to those employees expected to report to work documentation on official company letterhead stating the name of the employee and the essential business category authorizing the employee’s travel to and from work.

The City will continue to provide essential services to its residents. As such, in addition to emergency services, infrastructure work will also continue across the City. Our vision is still to be the best city to the citizens we serve, meeting their needs and expectations both today and tomorrow.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event for all of us. The City Council and City staff appreciate the community’s cooperation with this shelter-in-place order. For more information, please contact City Manager Mari Macomber at 660.627.1225

The Macon County R-1 School District has announced it is canceling the remainder of the 2019-20 school year due to COVID-19. A letter to parents from Superintendent Scott Jarvis states that district teachers and staff will continue to provide students with enrichment activities for the remainder of the school year. These activities are meant to keep students engaged in learning activities and will not be graded. The district will continue to serve meals during the closure. Beginning April 6th they will provide meals on Mondays and Thursdays. On these days there will be enough food to cover three days. Parents will be asked to come to the front of the school to pick up these meals. Javris says the Administrative team has been meeting and discussing their options for handling grades. Once a solution is approved by the Board of Education, information will be shared with parents and students.

All Kirksville Parks and Recreation playgrounds are now closed until further notice. Kirksville Parks and Recreation says this difficult decision was made based on a recommendation from the National Recreation and Park Association in an effort to promote community safety. The community is encouraged to utilize other areas of the parks safely by practicing social distancing and limiting groups to less than 10.