Gov. Parson promotes businesses day after Missouri stay-at-home order lapses

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson marked the expiration of his statewide stay-at-home order Monday by touring communities where local governments have allowed most non-essential businesses to reopen.

Parson, along with First Lady Teresa Parson, started the morning by visiting two Joplin businesses, CDL Electric Company, an electrical contractor, and Red Racks Thrift Store.

“Teresa and I visited CDL Electric Company to talk with staff about the adjustments the company made during the shutdown as an essential business and what safety measures are in place to help keep employees and customers safe,” Parson tweeted Monday morning.

The statewide stay-at-home order enforced occupancy limits on some businesses and encouraged them to enforce a 6-feet distance between customers. It did not require non-essential businesses to shutter like New York or Illinois.

With the order ending Sunday, occupancy limits remain in place, but distancing measures have been relaxed for employees who can’t perform their jobs without staying close to customers. A majority of state offices have reopened.

Missouri municipalities that have emerged as COVID-19 hotspots can require stricter provisions to limit the disease’s spread.

In Kansas City, some businesses will be able to reopen with stringent measures starting Wednesday. Gyms, bars, movie theaters, playgrounds and in-person dining will remain shuttered until at least May 15.

Dubbed the “Show Me Strong Recovery,” Parson’s statewide plan to combat the COVID-19’s spread while rebooting the economy includes acquiring expanded testing capacity and personal protective equipment, while tracking cases through a statewide model.

Parson has said he wants to ramp up to at least 40,000 tests conducted per week to have the “confidence” to fully reopen the state. DHSS reported that state and private labs conducted 20,000 tests last week..

Parson has faced pressure to either maintain the stay-at-home order to limit the disease’s spread or lift restrictions to ease financial burdens experienced by business owners and laid off workers.

Without a statewide order, the patchwork approach gives cities that have not experienced rapid growth in cases a chance to allow businesses to reopen.

Joplin has had only one new case of COVID-19 in the last two weeks, while Jasper County has had a total of 16 cases, DHSS reported.

Joplin lifted its April 6 local ordinance the same day as the state, and now requires six-feet of social distancing between customers and fewer than six people per table for in-person dining, according to the Joplin Globe.

Parson will also make appearances at Bass Pro Shops and Cox Medical Center South in Springfield. The city has loosened its original order but mandated differing rules based on the type of business, according to the Springfield News-Leader. Greene County has had a total of 90 cases, DHSS reported.

“I know many people are excited for Monday. Others might still be nervous and uneasy,” Parson said during a press briefing Friday. “Again, just because we are reopening doesn’t mean things will go back to normal right away.”

As of Sunday afternoon, there were 8,386 cases of COVID-19 reported to the Department of Health and Senior Services.

This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 10:39 AM.