JEFFERSON CITY - Governor Mike Parson announced today that Missouri will fully reopen June 16 and enter "Phase 2" of its “Show Me Strong Recovery."
“It is truly incredible to think about how far Missouri has come since March," Parson stated in a release. "At that time, no one knew what to expect. There was a lot of uncertainty, worry, and concern.
“Here we are today, just over 90 days since our first COVID-19 case in Missouri, and I am proud to say we have overcome all of these challenges and more than met our four pillars to reopen.”
Under the Phase 2 plan, there will be no statewide health order. All statewide restrictions will be lifted, though local officials will still have the authority to put further rules, regulations, or ordinances in place.
Parson indicated the decision to reopen was dependent on four essential "pillars":
- Expand testing capacity and volume in the state
- Expand reserves of PPE by opening public and private supply chains
- Continue to monitor and, if necessary, expand hospital and health care system capacity
- Improve ability to predict potential outbreaks using Missouri's public health data
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a statement in support of Parson's decision.
"The governor’s order has played an important role in helping reduce the threat of COVID-19 and limiting the spread of the virus," said Daniel P. Mehan, president and CEO of the Chamber.
"As the order is lifted and businesses across Missouri reopen, we urge employers to continue following best practices for the health and safety of their employees, customers and communities.'
Mehan said the Chamber's "Return to Work" guide details steps employers should be taking at this time and encourages all businesses to use it.
"While many Missourians have undergone significant hardships in recent months, we now have an opportunity to rebuild and reimagine our state’s economy for the future," Mehan said. "Moving forward, the Missouri Chamber will continue to push Missouri toward a strong recovery, including working to stop opportunistic COVID-19 lawsuits from slowing our economic rebound. Removing the statewide business restrictions is a positive step forward that will allow more businesses to take proper precautions and get Missourians safely back to work."
The press release from Parson's office indicated Missouri continues to receive and distribute PPE across the state. Yesterday, the state reached a record PPE shipment, expanding to include not only hospitals, health care facilities, and EMS but also dental offices as more are reopening across the state. Yesterday’s shipments included the following:
- 17,230 gowns
- 42,720 N95 masks
- 262,000 gloves
- 77,100 surgical masks
- 18,432 face shields
Regarding hospital capacity, hospitalizations fell by 43 percent statewide from May 1 to June 10. In April, the state converted a hotel into an alternate care site in just 11 days.
Missouri now also has a comprehensive COVID-19 dashboard containing data from across the state on testing, positivity rate, deaths, and hospitalizations. Much of the data is broken down further by county or demographics.
Parson signed Executive Order 20-12 extending the state of emergency in Missouri through Dec. 30, in order to utilize federal CARES Act funding. Extending the state of emergency also allows some flexibility in deploying resources around the state as Missouri reopens and recovers from COVID-19, the release stated.
Executive Order 20-12 also further extends four previous executive orders assisting with Missouri’s COVID-19 response through Dec. 30:
- Executive Order 20-04 easing regulatory burdens and certain provisions related to telemedicine and motor carriers
- Executive Order 20-05 allowing the sale of unprepared restaurant foods to the public
- Executive Order 20-06 mobilizing the National Guard in our response efforts
- Executive Order 20-08 waiving the requirement for a person to be physically present in front of a notary public