KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After releasing sweeping guidelines for a statewide reopening next week, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that he believes the state is more prepared to handle a potential second wave of the coronavirus, even as the harder-hit areas of Kansas City and St. Louis continue to see an increase in cases.
“Kansas City and St. Louis, especially St. Louis, is not on the same track as the rest of the state,” Parson said in an interview on 41 Action News Midday. “But eventually, you have to start making decisions on how you open up the state and giving people the opportunity to go back to the economy.”
On Wednesday, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city will allow certain non-essential businesses to reopen on May 6, while gyms, museums and restaurants can begin reopening on May 15 with certain guidelines in place, including occupancy limits and a sign-in requirement for customers who will be at a business longer than 10 minutes.
Parson, whose guidelines for reopening the state do not include any similar requirements for businesses, said the state is more prepared now than it was two months ago for dealing with the virus. Certain measures, such as mobile test sites and testing for private companies, will allow the state to focus its efforts on those areas that need it the most, he said.
"We're much more equipped to target those areas instead of absolutely having to shut the whole state down," Parson said. "But again, if (a second wave) happens four, five months down the road, we've got a plan in place and we're going to have to deal with it."
Parson said that 50 days ago, the state did not have the necessary data to determine how and where the virus would spread fastest. Moving forward, the governor said the state now has the ability to target “hot spots,” rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach for the entire state.
At this point, Parson said no decision has been made regarding start dates for schools in the fall. If there is a second outbreak of the virus, he said schools could be shut down by county or district, rather than a statewide order.
"I think it's a little premature to make those decisions at this point," Parson said. "I'm not sure what the school start date's going to look like. I'm not sure where we'll be in another 30 days. But I think we're just going to have to be patient and wait and see and make those decisions as we go for the schools."
