ST. LOUIS — The average number of new daily COVID-19 cases in St. Louis has nearly tripled within a month, increasing from about 38 cases to 107. And Mayor Lyda Krewson said those numbers could lead to more restrictions.
"It's been extreme for the last 30 days," Krewson said during her briefing on Facebook Live Monday afternoon. "We cannot continue to sustain high numbers of hospitalizations."
Though she said it was too early to give specifics, Krewson said all sorts of businesses and institutions could be impacted.
"You’ve gotta think about, what does that mean for churches, funerals, schools, universities? What does it mean for hotel ballrooms, weddings, day care centers?" she said. "We don’t know the answer yet because we would expect some tightening of the restrictions."
Krewson also expressed frustration with the lack of a statewide mask mandate.
"Our businesses should not have to bear the brunt of further restrictions because we are part of a bigger metro area that doesn't have mask mandates," she said.
St. Charles and Jefferson counties do not have mask mandates.
Krewson noted that St. Louis is "doing better" than other parts of the state. However, people from other parts of the state get admitted into St. Louis area hospitals.
According to the state's website, over the last seven days, the City of St. Louis has 217 cases per 100,000 residents. By comparison, the county with the highest rate is Pettis County with 949.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported a cumulative total of 212,441 cases Monday -- an increase of 3,244 cases from Sunday's total of 209,917. The state did not report any new deaths.