ST. LOUIS — Heatwaves could be seen emanating from St. Louis streets Wednesday.
People ducked into the shade while the popular water features at Citygarden were dry, turned off due to the coronavirus.
"When it was on last year, it was a staple because it's free, it's close to our house, it's a great community spot,' Katie Toler said during a visit with her young daughter. "It's just a bummer that with coronavirus and all the precautions, they decided to close even outdoor spaces."
An ICU nurse, Toler understands the risks and says the chance of exposure is smaller when outside.
But with public pools closed and few other options at relief, people are headed indoors to air-conditioned spaces.
"Anytime you are congregating people within enclosed space and you’re not wearing masks -- which people don’t normally do at home -- then you increase the probability of transmission," Dr. Alex Garza said during Wednesday's St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force briefing.
Representatives from the United Way told 5 On Your Side they've gotten about 200 calls to their 2-1-1 hotline related to air-conditioning and utility help since June 1. Some of those callers are looking for information on cooling stations, which are open, but with limitations.
"Really it's about social distancing," St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said in her own briefing. "You have to stay apart and you have to wear a mask."
Medical experts warn the people who typically use cooling centers are often also in the demographics at higher risk for hospitalizations.
"Cooling centers are for people who do not have air-conditioning in their homes and so those are typically people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds," Dr. Garza said. "And those are absolutely the people as well that are at higher risk for COVID-19 admissions and testing positive."
Visiting from Owensboro, Kentucky, Chelsea Hagan noted the visit to St. Louis' landmarks felt a little hotter with mask mandate.
"In Kentucky, it is not as strict as the masks and everything. Everywhere we have been -- like the zoo -- the masks have been required, and we were not expecting that. It's a little inconvenient. Especially in the heat, it made it a lot hotter," Hagan said.
Mayor Lyda Krewson said the city's firefighters have already installed 700 a/c units in residents' homes, with the help of CoolDownSTL.org, with plans for another 250 installations by the end of the month.
