‘I don’t feel guilty’: Parson rejects responsibility for COVID-19 increase in Missouri

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Tuesday he takes no personal responsibility for Missourians who have contracted COVID-19 since he fully reopened the state on June 16, and suggested that the media are responsible for misconstruing facts.

Parson, who for months has stressed the importance of personal responsibility in combating the virus, took issue with a reporter’s question toward the end of his afternoon press briefing.

“Do you feel any personal responsibility for the people who have been infected and don’t recover after you chose to reopen the state?” asked KOMU reporter Caroline Dade.

“I don’t even know where you come up with that question of personal responsibility as governor of the state of Missouri when you’re talking about a virus,” Parson replied. “That’s no different than the flu virus or do I feel guilty because we have car accidents and people die everyday. No, I don’t feel guilty about that.”

Since Parson decided not to extend a statewide social distancing order, cases have ticked up in the state — mostly in areas with food processing plants.

“I don’t know that any one person’s responsible for that no more than anyone else standing out here in this hallway,” Parson said. “I can say the same thing for the media. Maybe you don’t do a good enough job really telling people the facts. Do you feel responsible for that?”

Missouri has had 1,954 confirmed cases and 81 deaths since June 16.

In response to Parson’s remarks, Missouri Democratic Party spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said in an email statement that Parson insulted the 966 Missourians who have died of COVID-19.

“The governor’s refusal to take any responsibility for the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his decision to compare COVID-19 deaths to the flu and car crashes is deeply offensive and represents a stunning lack of compassion,” Donohoe said.

Three-fourths of new cases in Missouri over the weekend were reported in McDonald, Barry, Newton and Jasper Counties.

“This is not a surge or a second wave going on in Missouri,” Parson said earlier in the briefing. “These are outbreaks in specific areas, and we are aggressively testing in these areas to box in the virus and prevent further spreading.”

At his Saturday rally in Tulsa, President Trump quipped that he asked officials to slow down testing because higher identification rates reflect poorly on the country.

Parson said he had not heard Trump’s statement but that he had no intention of slowing down testing in Missouri. Shutting down the state again isn’t in the cards either, he said.

“I think we’re fine,” Parson said. “I think where we’re heading in Missouri — I don’t think anything’s happened that we wasn’t expecting to happen at this point.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 5:29 PM.