Gov. Parson reports sharp decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Missouri

Gov. Mike Parson, underscoring his view that Missouri is ready to begin reopening next week, announced Tuesday that COVID-19 hospitalizations have sharply declined across most of the state.

“As of April 25 the total number of hospitalizations has significantly reduced in every region of the state with the exception of the St. Louis region,” Parson said.

The St. Louis region saw an 8% increase in COVID-19 related hospitalizations, he said.

Parson said the Kansas City region saw a 41% decline in hospitalizations (411 to 243) between April 7 and April 25.

“The overall trend is the data show that Missouri’s healthcare system is under control,” Parson said. “Our hospitals are not overwhelmed and things are improving, which is why we have made the decision to move forward and begin reopening Missouri.”

Parson’s announcement comes as the death toll from the pandemic passed the 300 mark in Missouri with 26 new deaths reported Tuesday.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has reported 132 new COVID-19 cases identified in the last 24 hours, bringing the total in the state to 7,303 as of Tuesday afternoon. A total of 314 people have died from the disease.

The governor said that state data show Missouri has already reached its peak in hospitalizations, with 1,242 cases, on April 7.

Parson’s plan allows all Missouri businesses, including gyms, salons and barber shops to open on May 4, a day after his stay-at-home order expires. These businesses do have to follow certain social distancing guidelines.

The order does not apply to localities with longer stay-at-home orders, such as Kansas City and St. Louis.

The state guidelines include occupancy limits for some businesses. As for enforcement of these guidelines, Parson said that businesses and their customers will be enforcing them as well as local governments and health departments.

“I think everybody will own a piece of it: the business will, the consumer will and then the regulatory side of it,” he said.

Dan Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, announced that more than 400,000 Missourians have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and businesses are expected to lose a quarter of their revenue this year.

Fifteen percent of businesses, primarily small businesses, are expected to close, he added.

“These are staggering numbers, but we believe if we come together we can turn this around,” Mehan said. “It starts with getting our state back to work.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 5:19 PM.