Missouri Gov. Parson to ban gatherings over 10 people, won’t order businesses closed
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Friday he will issue an executive order banning gatherings in the state larger than 10 people to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Parson said the move should not be construed as an order to shut down private businesses. And it wouldn’t apply to things like church services or government functions.
The details of the order will be announced Saturday, nearly a week after President Donald Trump for Americans to avoid groups of 10 or more.
“This is about the gathering of people, 10 people or more,” he said. “It is not about shutting down businesses.”
Leading up to the announcement Friday, Parson faced criticism that he wasn’t being aggressive enough in combating coronavirus.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Friday countered Parson’s continual message, that the key to stopping COVID-19 spread is “personal responsibility.”
“It isn’t just about personal responsibility,” Lucas said. “It’s also about government responsibility, and there are things that we need to do to make sure that we are giving clear and consistent guidelines to businesses throughout Missouri, and I think that’s something that our statewide officials are in the best position to do.”
A coalition of Missouri public health officials sent a letter to Parson arguing that he must issue an order that residents can only leave their homes for medical reasons, work or to get food in order to protect Missourians from COVID-19. Business leaders in Kansas City and St. Louis made a similar plea to order mandatory social distancing.
KC Tenants, which advocates for tenant rights and affordable housing causes, demanded that Parson institute a number of protections, including a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures and a ban on utility shut offs.
Operators of state license offices, which unlike most other states are run by private entities, have voiced concern that Parson has declined to order the offices closed. Instead, the state is leaving it up to the individual offices to make the determination.
Parson said of the suggestions he’s gotten, “we get letters every day.”
He also said the situation changes rapidly, so he can’t predict what he’ll need to do next.
“This is just the beginning,” Parson said. “We’re two or three months that we’re gonna be dealing with this issue.”
Local action
Lucas, along with area county leaders, shuttered dine-in restaurant service in addition to barring gatherings of more than 10 people.
Lucas said he wanted to see clearer guidance from state officials — rather than the “patchwork” of local orders — and perhaps more decisive, stringent orders, such as a statewide ban on dine-in restaurant service, for better consistency. As the coronavirus crisis continues, he said, he’ll “implore (Parson) to take bold, decisive action.”
“What I’m concerned about to the extent we don’t have a statewide response, a region-wide response is that some of the very community transmission we are trying to fight against could be happening anyway,” Lucas said.
Parson said he is hesitant to order private business to close.
“Making a decision like that is easier said than done,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the right thing to do at this time. There’s a lot more that goes into the decision than simply telling businesses to close their doors.”
Jackson County Executive Frank White said at a news conference Friday that Parson could make things simpler for the whole state by issuing clear mandates.
“So I would encourage him to take a look at what Gov. (Laura) Kelly has done in Kansas and the other governors around the United States, and take the leadership that governors should have at this time,” White said, “and I think the counties and cities are more than willing to step up and do what’s necessary, but I think it’s a government leadership role to guide as we get through this.”
Kelly was the first governor in the country to order all schools closed for the rest of the academic year. She also issued an executive order restricting foreclosures and evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Parson has rejected calls to follow Kelly’s lead, saying decisions like these are best left to local officials. Because of this, Missouri is one of the few states that hasn’t issued statewide orders regarding schools or big gatherings.
As of Thursday afternoon, all school districts in the state had decided on their own to temporarily close, and municipalities like Kansas City have taken steps to limit foreclosures and ban large public gatherings.
And over the last week, Parson has declared a state of emergency, closing the state’s casinos, lifting certain state regulations, waiving penalties for late tax filing, moving the April 7 election to June and lifting restrictions on certain safety net programs.
But he initially seemed hesitant to take sweeping action, and his critics argue he’s been far too slow in responding aggressively to an unfolding public health disaster.
“Even if you don’t believe in government,” said Rep. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, “the government is here for a time of emergency. This is an emergency.”
Includes reporting by The Star’s Mike Hendricks.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 3:58 PM.
