Joplin sees spike in COVID-19 cases, special meeting planned

The Joplin City Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday night to talk about possibly mandating face masks around the city during this COVID-19 pandemic as cases are on the rise around the area.

Mayor Ryan Stanley says they will even discuss taking a step back in the reopening plan. Stanley says the city is troubled by the rise of cases of COVID-19 in the area. Stanley says when he puts the threat is here, it is real and it is significant.

Joplin now has a total of 91 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. They reported 35 new cases Monday. 52 are currently active. 39 have been released from isolation. 77 are in quarantine from being exposed to the virus.

City Health Department Director Dan Pekarek says they have been working with local agencies to keep up with contact tracing. Pekarek says we must social distance and that it is recommended you wear a mask if you cannot social distance.

Many have asked if these increased numbers are due to increased testing. “Some of the increased numbers you are seeing in the area are really tied to increased testing. There is a lot of testing going on,” said Pekarek. “Here in Joplin it’s not certainly NOT all tied to increased testing. There was a period of time in the last few weeks where the testing was staying about the same and yet we were having an increase in testing.”

If you think you need a test you can visit https://www.doineedacovid19test.com/