EUREKA, Mo. — Two days after announcing he would allow businesses in Eureka to start reopening on May 4, Mayor Sean Flower clarified his plan Thursday, saying most businesses will instead be able to open on May 15.
Flower said his office received "an enormous amount" of calls, messages and emails from businesses and residents with questions about how the plan will work and how it will affect health and safety in the city.
"Almost all the businesses got back to me and said, 'Hey, it'll take us two to three weeks. We gotta get staff back, we gotta get food supply,'" he said.
When Flower announced the May 4 opening date, it was in defiance of St. Louis County's indefinite stay-at-home order.
"Eureka's on the border with Franklin County and Jefferson County, and it's actually in Jefferson County also. And both of those counties are going forward with their reopenings on the fourth," he said.
But 5 On Your Side learned the piece of Eureka in Jefferson County was just annexed by the city last year. Only two businesses are there, a fire department spokesman said.
The vast majority of Eureka is in St. Louis County, and County Executive Sam Page warned businesses in the city to get good legal advice if they decide to open early.
Flower said he doesn't regret the reversal because it allowed business owners to start thinking of how they'll reopen when the time comes.
The mayor said he chose May 15 to line up with the opening date in Kansas City. He said with Kansas City announcing a reopening date, it leaves St. Louis and St. Louis County as the only jurisdictions in the state without set dates.
"We have to be able to define these dates because it's becoming a huge issue economically for the whole area, and we should not be closed a day longer than we need to," he said.
Three Republican members of the St. Louis County Council agree with him.
Thursday, they introduced their plan to reopen, and May 4 is the date they're calling for, too.
"We want to be able to put the responsibility of safety back onto the citizens," Councilman Mark Harder said.
But they, like Mayor Flower, will likely have to adjust that timeline.
Flower said the city will work with businesses during the additional time to put together a plan for returning to work, bringing back workers who were furloughed or laid off, sanitizing businesses and making social distancing adjustments. Businesses are encouraged to contact the City of Eureka to make sure they are meeting the state's guidelines.
The Eureka Fire Department, City of Eureka and Eureka Chamber will be working together on a program to implement a fogging and disinfection procedure using the best practices the departments have found during this process.
You can read Flower's full statement below.
County Executive Sam Page and Mayor Lyda Krewson said they will keep stay-at-home orders in place beyond the state's order, which lifts on May 4.