Health Department shuts down U-Haul location after employees refused to wear masks

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — A U-Haul location in Kansas City is closed after violating the city’s mask mandate.

It’s the second business in Kansas City to be closed by the health department because of complaints of employees refusing to wear masks.

That means no one is supposed to be inside U-Haul Moving & Storage of Truman Corners, but FOX4 saw employees coming and going all day Wednesday.

The Kansas City Health Department suspended U-Haul’s certificate for occupancy of the location on Blue Ridge Boulevard.

“We are not enjoying doing this. This is not fun for us. I mean, it is very stressful,” Kansas City Health and Services Division Manager Naser Jauhari said.

Jauhari said, as of Friday, they’ve received more than 2,400 complaints about businesses across the city that are not requiring face coverings.

He said the health department responded to each of those complaints with a phone call, reminding owners of the mayor’s executive order.

If they get another complaint, health department staff pays the store a visit. That’s what happened to this U-Haul near Blue Ridge Boulevard and Grandview Road.

“They flat out told us, ‘We will not follow the mayor’s order. We will not where masks, and this whole thing is a joke,’” Jauhari said.

That’s when Jauhari’s team moved to step three — shutting down the business. It will not be allowed to reopen until employees agree to comply with the order.

FOX4 reached out to the store. They referred us to U-Haul International.

A spokeperson said in an email, “Our local management team is seeking explanation and clarification from the city for today’s unexpected events,” and went on to say they “will not be able to offer a statement prior to that.”

Mayor Quinton Lucas issued the following statement to FOX4:

“The city’s goal is never to close a business, and, as such, our health department provided several warnings to businesses with complaints of non-compliance against them — and ample opportunity to come into compliance — before issuing a closure order. However, when a business refuses to cooperate and puts its employees and patrons at risk, the health department will act.”

Jauhari said the process to get the doors back open is simple.

“All we need is compliance,” he said. “We are not in the business of putting them out of business. We want them to be successful. We want to protect their customers the same way protect their employees.”

Now, the health department is just waiting on employees to agree to wear masks.

The managers need to meet with the department and submit a request to reopen, which states they will not be in violation in the future.

U-Haul Company of Southern Kansas President, Aaron Krueger, sent this statement after this story was originally aired and published:

“U-Haul has communicated with the city regarding the actions of some of its Team Members at the Truman Corners location. U-Haul has submitted a comprehensive compliance plan on behalf of this store. We have taken steps internally to ensure that all current mandates are met here, and at all U-Haul moving and storage facilities. As an essential service provider, and a part of Kansas City’s critical infrastructure, our mission is to serve the communities in which we operate in the safest and most effective manner possible.” Additionally, please note that we were informed by the city inspector today that while the building is not to be occupied until the suspension is lifted, U-Haul is able to operate at this location while outside, on our lot, serving self-move customers with truck and trailer rentals, towing devices, propane and additional services.”

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