JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The state will be "fully open for business" on June 16, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday. There will be no statewide health order and statewide restrictions will be lifted.
However, local officials will still have the authority to put further rules, regulations, or ordinances in place, the governor said.
"The virus is still out there," Parson said. "It is still extremely important for everyone to continue social distancing. Be proactive. Avoid large, congested crowds, and if you can’t social distance, take extra precautions to protect yourself and those around you.”
Parson also announced the Missouri State Fair will take place, though there may be changes. More details will be announced at a later date.
Parson also signed an executive order, which will extend the state of emergency in Missouri through December 30 in order to utilize federal CARES Act funding.
"We are prepared to handle any potential outbreaks and hotspots," Parson said.
Parsons said he made the decision to lift the restrictions because the state met the four pillars of his administration's "Show Me Strong Recovery" plan:
- Expand testing capacity and volume in the state
- Expand reserves of PPE by opening public and private supply chains
- Continue to monitor and, if necessary, expand hospital and health care system capacity
- Improve ability to predict potential outbreaks using Missouri's public health data
There have been 15,390 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the state and 860 deaths, as of June 11, according to the state's website.
"We want to get Missourians back to work," Missouri Economic Department Director Rob Dixon said at the briefing.
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