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 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Health department officials in Kansas City and its surrounding three counties are pleading with residents to follow safety precautions amid an increase of coronavirus cases that they say could lead to further shutdowns and overwhelmed hospitals.The officials from Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, and from Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas <a href="https://www.jocogov.org/sites/default/files/PressRelease/HealthOfficerLetterFINAL072420.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3qoxbx3DXsSh3-UAV-XiaHbOqcRoZmOzEOJaKBFNhZHrWOADuxcKkMc4U">issued a letter saying</a> it is important to wear masks, social distance and limit group gatherings to slow the virus’ spread.“We are extremely concerned that hospitalizations will continue to escalate in the coming weeks and months,” officials said, “and that the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 will lead to increasing ventilator use and deaths. Despite hoping this would not occur, we predicted that this was a possibility at some point after the relaxation of the stay-at-home orders.”On Sunday, Missouri reported 15 more deaths from coronavirus, according the state department of health and senior services and over 2400 new positive cases of the virus since Friday.The Kansas Department of <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported over</a> 1000 new cases Friday and 18 additional deaths.According to the letter, "If we do not	act	quickly as	a community and region, future shutdowns	will	be inevitable.""It may be important in	the coming days to limit the interactions of individuals in	bars,	restaurants, and	other indoor shopping	venues – particularly where masks cannot be worn	when	eating	and	drinking. We prefer these	businesses	provide patrons with	curbside	or outdoor service&nbsp; whenever and wherever possible as they have done before. We support creative	ideas	such	as	serving patrons	in new outdoor spaces	such	as	car-side&nbsp; in	parking	lots,	or	on	sidewalks	wherever	possible.""Research from Goldman	Sachs suggests a national mask	mandate would	slow the growth	rate of new COVID-19 infections	and	prevent a	5%	GDP	loss	caused	by	additional lockdown&nbsp; measures.&nbsp;The researchers go	on	to	estimate	that	a national mandate	would	increase	the&nbsp; portion	of people wearing	masks by 15	percentage points and	cut the daily growth	of new cases by	1.0	percentage	point to	0.6%. Reducing the spread of the	virus	through mask-wearing, the analysts found, could be a substitute for strict	lockdown measures	that	would otherwise	shave	$1 trillion off	the	U.S.&nbsp; GDP.------------

Officials: Future shutdowns inevitable in Kansas City due to virus