JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Mike Parson is fully reopening the state beginning next week as he moves Missouri into Phase 2 of his “Show Me Strong Recovery” Plan.
Parson announced Thursday that Phase 2 will begin on Tuesday, June 16, allowing all businesses to fully reopen.
All statewide orders will be fully lifted; however, local officials will still be able to keep restrictions in place, like those in Kansas City.
Parson said he is still stressing that residents practice social distancing and good hygiene to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.
“We must remember that COVID-19 is not gone,” Parson said in a statement. “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.”
Parson said he made the decision to move into Phase 2 because the state met its four pillars to reopen:
- Expand testing capacity and volume in the state
- Expand reserves of PPE by opening public and private supply chains
- Continue to monitor and, if necessary, expand hospital and health care system capacity
- Improve ability to predict potential outbreaks using Missouri’s public health data
Parson said the state saw about 16,000 tests the week of April 20 and then more than 53,000 the week of May 25. In the past two weeks, the governor said Missouri has had averaged more than 10,000 tests per weekday.
He also touched on the state’s PPE supply, which just had a record shipment on Wednesday, according to the governor. Hospitalizations fell by 43% statewide from May 1 to June 10, Parson said.
According to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, 15,390 people have tested positive for the virus in Missouri with 860 deaths.
“We have learned and accomplished so much since March,” Parson said. “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.”
On Thursday, Parson also extended the state of emergency in Missouri through Dec. 30, 2020, so the state can utilize its federal CARES Act funding.
Extending the state of emergency also extends four other executive orders, in regard to telemedicine, restaurant sales, the National Guard and notary services.