KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A COVID-19 surge strikes the Kansas City area again.

This time around, masks are back inside of Jackson County owned buildings.

“I think it’s the best thing going, because this stuff is still out there, so we have to protect ourselves,” Patrick Webb said.

While high community levels of COVID-19 continue to plague the Kansas City metro, Jackson County is trying to combat the virus.

This entire week, anyone who visits or works inside a Jackson County-owned building will be required to go through a temperature screening at the building’s front door.

Masks and social distancing are also required for everyone inside the buildings.

This comes after the CDC’s Control and Prevention map said the county’s community level was high.

So are other counties in the metro, including Douglas County, Johnson County and Wyandotte County.

“I don’t think we’re as panicked because we’ve been there and done that,” Steve Hoeger, Co-Chair of MARC, said.

“We know people are vaccinated, so while we know case numbers may continue to rise as long as that’s not leading to hospitalizations.”

Hoeger said hospitals across the region are seeing the same number of COVID patients at this time last year, but patients aren’t as sick.

He said the best way to beat this surge is for people to be fully vaccinated.