Blue Springs, Mo. – The City of Blue Springs is urging residents to be on a heightened level of awareness when gathering in public places in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other germs.
“We want to assure you that the health and safety of our residents and employees are at the forefront of our minds and we are taking necessary precautions to keep our most vulnerable populations safe,” said Mayor Carson Ross. “It is important that we continue to take the important health and hygiene recommendations seriously and we continue to urge our residents to wash their hands regularly and thoroughly, avoid close contact with others and, if possible, avoid large gatherings to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and other contagious germs.”
Blue Springs Municipal Court: Effective Monday, March 16, 2020 through Friday, March 27, 2020, all dockets are postponed/continued to a later date to assist in eliminating the spread of the new strain of coronavirus. The Blue Springs Municipal Court office will remain staffed and open during this time for normal business. All prisoner arraignments will continue as usual via video conferencing. At this time, two court dockets are affected; Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20. The Court staff will be working with both Judges to set cases appropriately and notify all attorneys and defendants of the new dates as soon as possible.
Vesper Hall: Effective Monday, March 16, Vesper Hall will be closed for a period of 21 days. Vesper Hall is utilized by a population that is considered “high risk” when it comes to COVID-19 and the City wants to ensure the continued health and safety of our senior residents. At this time the senior home meal delivery service will continue, however, our drivers will be taking additional precautions recommended by the Mid-America Regional Council to ensure the safety of our volunteers and patrons during deliveries.
The Fieldhouse: The Fieldhouse will remain open for normal operation. Staff has enhanced cleaning and disinfectant routines and we have implemented new measures and products to ensure the facility remains as clean as possible throughout operation.
However, members who feel it in their best interest will be allowed to suspend their membership for the month of April with no penalty. We will evaluate any future extension to our suspension policy as needed. Written notice of your intent to suspend your membership under this offer will need to be provided to the Fieldhouse by March 27. The bank draft will begin automatically again in May unless the Fieldhouse extends this suspension time period. If you choose to restart your membership prior to May, you will not be charged the application fee and will pay the prorated monthly fee based on day of restart.
All large event rentals at the Fieldhouse are suspended at this time and staff is notifying the affected groups Practice and party rentals will remain unaffected The Fieldhouse operational status may be modified as the situation evolves.
Other City Facilities: City Hall and all other city facilities will continue operating under normal business hours at this time. City staff has enhanced cleaning protocols for all facilities and has modified leave policies for employees who have recently traveled internationally.
Jackson County: Jackson County, Missouri issued a State of Emergency on March 12, 2020 and under the order, all large group events with 1,000 people or more are prohibited from taking place within the county.
“This fast-moving virus does not know city, county or state lines. It is critical that our response is not limited by such geographical boundaries either,” said Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. in a statement. “While the health concerns posed by the virus are serious, it is important that our community not panic”
This is a rapidly changing situation and the City is monitoring it closely and continuously communicating with other government and health agencies. We will continue to provide updates and take additional measures as needed for the safety of our residents and employees as the situation warrants.