KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Coronavirus cases in the Branson area have more than doubled in less than two weeks amid pleas from officials for people to wear masks.
Taney County, home of Branson, has recorded 107 coronavirus cases, according to numbers updated Tuesday by the county health department. On June 26, the county had just 43.
And on Friday, right before the busy Fourth of July weekend, cases hadn't hit 80 yet.
"We knew they would increase once we opened back up," Sheila Wyatt, a Taney County commissioner, said last week. "But we didn't know it would be so quickly. ... We have to do what we can to keep the numbers down. I believe the desire is that people will be responsible on their own and heed the advise of the experts."
There are signs in the tourist community that leaders are beginning to worry about the spread. Starting Wednesday, anyone entering a city building or facility is required to wear a "face covering." That includes the Parks Department, City Hall and Police Department.
Cox Medical Center Branson has urged the community to adopt mask wearing. A doctor with the hospital system spent more than 40 minutes last week on Facebook Live "debunking myths," and said it was time everyone wore masks.
And in his newsletter, Mayor Edd Akers asked residents to wear one and to consider their attitudes about "being a part of the solution."
As for a mandate that would require people to wear them in public places across the tourism community, there doesn't seem to be much movement on that.
Late last month, the Taney County Health Department's board of trustees passed a resolution asking residents and visitors to wear face masks or coverings in public places. But it is not a requirement.
Brandon Williams, another Taney County commissioner, said he wouldn't be in favor of a mandate. He doesn't think that would get the outcome people want.
"Ultimately the goal is to get more people to wear masks, right?" Williams said. "You have to look at the demographic and people we represent. And right or wrong, our demographic tends to respond to asks and requests rather than demands and mandates."
Williams said that as he was out and about in the county, he was seeing more people wearing masks across the community and thought the urging of health officials and leaders was working.
Yet, as a reporter for The Kansas City Star traveled through the town last week, it appeared few were heeding the pleas inside Branson, a town of less than 12,000 residents. Theaters and restaurants on the 76 strip buzzed with traffic and dozens of people gathered outside the Andy's Frozen Custard.
Others packed into a nearby go-kart track. Few wore masks.
Few, if any, shops downtown required masks. At the Tanger Outlets, some stores like the Disney Outlet and Polo Ralph Lauren required face coverings. But hundreds of people entered other shops without masks.
Shoppers lined up outside the Old Navy Outlet and Nike Factory Store as staffers sought to limit crowds.
In the health department's news releases updating the number of coronavirus cases, the director often details possible exposure risks. In many cases, those who have tested positive have visited restaurants and businesses and church services without wearing masks.
Akers said in his newsletter last week that the city's elected leaders were "seeking to get as much information as possible to make, what will surely be, difficult decisions ahead." He also noted that the coronavirus would eventually have a vaccine.
"It is my hope as mayor that we will be able to look back at this time as a temporary inconvenience," Akers said, "as we strive to keep our community as safe as possible."
One of the town's largest attractions, Dolly Parton's Stampede, has cut its capacity by more than half to help spread parties out. It's screening guests and requiring masks when entering, moving or exiting the building. Still, the company website is topped with a lengthy warning about COVID-19, and the "inherent risk" of exposure in all public places.
"By visiting Dolly Parton's Stampede Dinner Attraction, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19," the warning says. "Help keep each other healthy."
