ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County could face more restrictions if the region cannot control the spread of the coronavirus, County Executive Sam Page said during his briefing Monday morning. The region and state have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases and record-breaking hospital admissions.
"Our hospitals are nearly full and our health department is overwhelmed and exhausted," Page said. "Our state and region are setting new records every day."
Page outlined four recommendations to help slow the spread:
- Avoid personal interactions. Work from home, if possible.
- Wear a mask unless you are with people from your own household.
- Self-quarantine for 14 days if you have traveled or attended a large gathering or event.
- Keep a small circle of 10 people or fewer (family members, friends, co-workers) and be prepared to do your own contact tracing if someone in the circle becomes ill.
Page said the health department's professional contact tracers will be busy dealing with the most vulnerable community members.
He noted many cases are coming from private gatherings and asked people to avoid hosting or attending such events.
Page said a Halloween party hosted by a De Smet high school student may have been attended by as many as 200 people, calling it a "super-spreader" event. Five people who were at the party have already tested positive for the virus and others are awaiting results.
"Every single person who went to that party needs to quarantine and get a test," he said.
Health officials are working with the two other private schools whose students attended the party, including Cor Jesus and Notre Dame.
"We don't have the time or ability to police all of these private parties," Page said.
De Smet released a statement Monday afternoon, saying the party was "not a school-sanctioned event" and that the school has identified and quarantined all students in attendance.
"We are extremely disappointed and frustrated by the poor decisions that led to the party in question," the statement said.
Cor Jesus Academy also issued a statement Monday, saying it identified the students who attended the party.
"All began quarantines immediately," the statement said, in part. "No affected person or party attendee has been on Cor Jesu’s campus since Thursday, November 5. We are diligently following all recommendations from the CDC and local health officials, and continue to work with the St. Louis County Health Department to contact trace and notify any Cor Jesu students, faculty, staff or campus visitors who come in contact with an individual who tests positive for Covid-19."
Page said the restrictions will be measured and that his administration is aware of and sensitive to the economic impact of a stay-at-home order.
"All restrictions moving forward will be gradual," he said, adding that he will work with the health department to determine what kind of restrictions will best limit the spread. No details have been discussed.
Sunday, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported 89 new hospital admissions, down from its record-high of 99 on Saturday. It reported a total of 551 hospitalizations Sunday -- up from 529 on Saturday and the highest level since April 21 when it reported 562 hospitalizations.
Missouri on Sunday reported 4,131 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths from the disease caused by the coronavirus. That pushed its death toll since the pandemic began to 3,153.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Missouri has risen over the past two weeks, from about 1,789 new cases per day on Oct. 24 to about 3,126 as of Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
