ST. LOUIS — People living, working and visiting St. Louis will likely wear masks for the long haul, Mayor Krewson said.
"I don't think we're going to see a lift in the mask requirement until there's a vaccine and it's widely available," Krewson said in her Facebeook Live briefing Friday afternoon.
She said social distancing measures will also be in place for a "good while."
Krewson said she will reevaluate the restrictions on bars and restaurants at the end of next week; the order is scheduled to expire Sept. 7. Currently, any establishments serving alcohol must close at 11 p.m. The city enacted the restrictions to tamp down spread among people in their 20s and 30s.
The mayor pointed out other jurisdictions in the area also had "last call" times. In St. Louis County, bars must close at 10 p.m.
When asked whether the city would enact a mask mandate that requires restaurant patrons to wear masks when they are interacting with staff, similar to the order in Illinois, she said people should use "common sense" and courtesy.
"When the waitress or waiter server comes up to your table to take your order or to deliver your food, to ask if you need anything else, you really should put your mask back on again," she said.
The city reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday; 37 on Wednesday and 27 on Tuesday.
"We've had a couple of good days with the low number of cases, so we're happy about that, but we're not going to read too much into that until we can get a little bit longer," Krewson said.