KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The state of Missouri was "fully open for business" Tuesday, though Kansas City, Missouri, remains under restrictions until July 5.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and Mayor Quinton Lucas both said they do not plan on issuing another COVID-19 lockdown going forward.
"It's really important for our state to move forward and we all have to realize we’ve got to be able to deal with the virus and the economy at the same time and get people back out there," Parson said.
While touring the new Burns and McDonnell expansion, both pointed out the importance of strengthening the workforce.
Parson said he's confident the state will get back to a low unemployment rate similar to last year.
Mayor Lucas said reopening will still involve following protocols like social distancing and wearing masks.
"I think everybody recognizes there has been a spike in cases here in the Kansas City area," Lucas said. "So, we'll call on them at this point to look at what institutions are doing, to not patronize businesses that aren't following the rules, but continue to push out health department guidance."
Parson said if there is a second wave, the state will be better prepared.
"I'm confident we'll be able to handle that with the health care centers we have across the state, with the testing we have in place, with the hospital capacity we have in place," Parson said. "There's a lot of things we know now that we didn't know then."
Lucas said the timing lends well to a reopening.
"It's summertime. You can do more outdoor events and we'll need to get to that level of responsibility, particularly when the school year starts and before we hit the cold weather months," Lucas said.
