Today’s update discusses:
- Governor Parson extending Phase 1 of the “Show Me Strong Recovery” plan
- Effective contact tracing efforts
- Voting safely in next week’s election
- UMKC’s phased reopening of its campuses
- Kansas City’s Mayor lifting some economic restrictions
EMERGENCY ORDERS
- Governor Parson has extended Phase 1 of the “Show Me Strong Recovery” plan to June 15. The Phase was originally set to end on May 31. The extension aligns with the current state of emergency and will give areas across the state more time to prepare before moving into
Phase 2.
HEALTH
- Through contact tracing implemented by the state, a Columbia preschool student was identified as potentially exposed to COVID-19 and tested positive. The student attends Tiger Tots, the same preschool that filed a lawsuit against the state’s health director to end restrictions. The school has alerted parents and staff who may have been exposed to the child. The preschool has stated in a social media post, “all teachers and parents with a student potentially affected by this situation have been personally contacted by administration and will be working with the Boone County Health Department to quarantine for 14 days.”
VOTING
- During his briefing yesterday, Governor Parson remarked that those who do not feel safe going out to vote because of COVID-19 should not go out. He also expressed hope that people feel safe enough to vote at polling places. The Missouri Secretary of state has provided election workers with protective gear and sanitizing supplies. For this election, postponed from April, Missouri requires a formal excuse from those seeking to vote by absentee ballot.
ECONOMY
- The University of Missouri-Kansas City (“UMKC”) has announced its campuses will re-open, starting next week. Phase 1, which begins on Monday, “will include a small group of employees engaged in critical operations that support the university’s core mission and who must be physically present to effectively complete their work duties.” This Phase will run through July 5 before moving on to Phase 2. The three-phase plan attempts to have the campus completely reopened for faculty and staff by August, but officials will continue to monitor the public health situation closely to adapt the reopening plan.
- Kansas City’s Mayor, Quinton Lucas, will lift some restrictions starting on Sunday. The mayor announced that his goal is to better align with the guidelines in Clay, Platte, and Jackson counties. The new order allows businesses to open at 50% capacity and essential businesses to open at 100% capacity. However, the order will still require safety measures to be in place. For example, servers at bars and restaurants are required to wear masks and practice social distancing. While it is not a requirement for customers to wear masks, Mayor Lucas is recommending it, and businesses may refuse services to those without masks. These guidelines are set to be in effect until July 5, 2020.