JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri is now in Phase 2 of the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan.
This means that there are no statewide COVID-19 restrictions. Local officials still have the authority to put further rules, regulations, or ordinances in place.
Governor Mike Parson continues to emphasize the importance of continuing social distancing and practicing proper hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We must remember that COVID-19 is not gone,” Gov. 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.”
Gov. Parson said on June 11 that it was incredible to think about how far the state has come since March.
The decision to reopen was dependent on the four essential Show Me Strong Recovery pillars:
- 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
Weekly testing in the state has increased more than 220% from approximately 16,000 test encounters the week of April 20 to over 53,000 the week of May 25.
Missouri has also received national recognition for the use of its PPE marketplace, which helps health care providers with Missouri manufactures and suppliers. Currently, there are over 100 hospitals, 436 suppliers, and 1,567 health care providers, businesses, and other organizations registered in the PPE marketplace.
Hospitalizations fell by 43% statewide from May 1 to June 10.
On June 15, restrictions began to ease in the St. Louis area as local officials have had restrictions due to the area being more affected by the pandemic.