On June 11, 2020, Governor Parson announced that Missouri will fully reopen and enter phase 2 on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. During this phase, there will be no statewide health order. All statewide restrictions are lifted, although local officials may put further rules or regulations in place.
“It is truly incredible to think about how far Missouri has come since March. Here we are, just 90 days since our first COVID-19 case in Missouri, And I’m proud to say we have overcome all of these challenges and more than met our four pillars to reopen.”
-Governor Parson
Pillars
Weekly testing increased by more than 220%. Over the past two weeks, Missouri averaged more than 10,000 tests per weekday.
The four essential pillars are:
- Expand testing capacity and volume
- 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 health data
Reopening
While Missouri will fully reopen on June 16, the governor emphasizes the importance of continuing social distancing and practicing proper handwashing to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. In preparation for phase 2, the governor signed executive order 20-12, extending the state of emergency through December 30, 2020. You can view the executive order here. This allows flexibility in deploying resources around the state as needed. This order also extends four previous orders that assist with Missouri’s response. These orders are:
- order 20-04 easing regulatory burdens and certain provisions related to telemedicine and motor carriers
- 20-05 allowing the sale of unprepared restaurant foods to the public
- 20-06 mobilizing the National Guard in our response efforts
- 20-08 waiving the requirement for a person to be physically present in front of a notary public
Extending these orders gives Missourians more time to adjust as the state works through the economic recovery process.
