Parson: Sixth positive case of coronavirus identified in Greene County

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Parson said Monday morning that a sixth person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Missouri.

Parson announced the new case of novel coronavirus in a tweet and later tweeted that the case was in Greene County. It's the third case identified in Greene County, where Springfield is located. Two other cases have been identified in St. Louis County and another in Henry County.

The announcement follows a week of jumping numbers of infections, widespread announcements of closures of schools and limits to crowd sizes, including in St. Louis and Kansas City. Parson declared a public emergency on Friday.

Columbia and Jefferson City schools have not canceled classes, but Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Peter Stiepleman said Sunday that schools would have to close at some point. Many cities have closed down bars and restaurants, too.

Public schools in Harrisburg and Marshall said Sunday that they would be closing, with Marshall saying a staff member is being tested for COVID-19. Some grocery store shelves are empty amid the panic surrounding the pandemic.

The novel coronavirus has killed more than 6,500 people worldwide.

Financial markets plunged Monday morning, despite a move by the Federal Reserve to sharply cut interest rates.