Capitol Report: Missouri fully reopened
Governor Parson fully reopened the state on Tuesday, June 16. On that day the state officially entered Phase 2 of the governor’s “Show Me Strong Recovery” Plan.
Moving into Phase 2 means there is no statewide health order and all statewide restrictions are lifted. However, local officials will continue to have the authority to implement further rules, regulations, or orders.
Parson made the decision to reopen the state based on successfully building the four essential “Show Me Strong Recovery” pillars. When first announcing the plan, Parson said the state needed to 1) expand testing capacity and volume in the state; 2) expand reserves of PPE; 3) monitor and, if necessary, expand hospital and health care system capacity; and 4) improve the ability to predict potential outbreaks using public health data.
Parson said. “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.”
Parson noted that weekly testing in Missouri has increased more than 220 percent from approximately 16,000 test encounters the week of April 20 to over 53,000 encounters the week of May 25. Over the past two weeks, the state has averaged more than 10,000 tests per weekday.
Parson said the state continues to receive and distribute PPE. This week, 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. Missouri has also received national recognition for the use of its PPE marketplace, which helps health care providers with Missouri manufactures and suppliers.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have fallen 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.
Parson pointed out that the state 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 said, “We have learned and accomplished so much since March. Knowing what we know now, we are much better prepared to deal with COVID-19 going forward, and we are fully confident that Missouri is ready to take the next step.”
Even though the state is fully reopened, Governor Parson emphasized the importance of continuing social distancing and practicing proper hygiene to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
He said, “We must remember that COVID-19 is not gone. It is still extremely important for everyone to continue social distancing. Be proactive. Avoid large, congested crowds, and if you can’t social distance, take extra precautions to protect yourself and those around you.”
The governor also signed an executive order to extend the state of emergency in Missouri through December 30, 2020. By extending the order, the state will be able to utilize federal CARES Act funding. Extending the state of emergency will also allow continued flexibility in deploying resources around the state as Missouri reopens and recovers from COVID-19. Additionally, the governor extended four other existing orders to assist with Missouri’s COVID-19 response through the end of the year.
Parson said he extended the orders to give Missourians more time to adjust as the state works through the economic recovery process.
As always, it is an honor to serve you!
Allen Andrews is the First District State Representative.
