State leaders see signs of COVID-19 recovery in Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson thanked Missourians on Tuesday for a "common sense" approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, noting an increase of fewer than 100 case each of the last two days.
COVID-19 cases in Missouri increased by 74 on Monday and 88 on Tuesday, compared to last week, when cases increased by more than 300 in one day. The positive trend can be credited to the actions of Missourians looking out for their own safety, Parson said during his daily COVID-19 briefing in the Capitol.
You can watch a replay of the news conference in the media player below.
"It wasn’t government that made Missouri so good over these last 60 days – it was the people of this state that abided by what they needed to do," Parson said.
The state crossed the 10,000-case mark on Tuesday and reported 36 new deaths, one of the biggest daily increases in fatalities since the pandemic began. However, officials chalked that up to a delay in reporting in one jurisdiction dating back to April 24.
Rob Dixon, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, appeared with Parson to highlight federal money coming into the state for workforce retraining. They noted the strength of the economy at the start of the pandemic.
"Unlike almost every other economic shock that our nation has faced, this one was not caused by economic conditions," Dixon said. "Financial systems didn't fail, bubbles didn't burst. Instead, it was the public health threat itself that brought our economy to a standstill."
Parson said the state will receive $1.3 million on June 1 that the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development will distribute to local workforce development boards. The money will be used to provide temporary jobs that are currently in need, such as workers to trace COVID-19 patients' recent contacts and positions related to health care.
Parson said nearly 79,000 Missouri businesses have received more than $9.2 billion from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, meant to keep workers on employment rolls during the pandemic.
Parson said employees of job training centers around the state have been helping with unemployment cases. Next week they will begin new job training programs for unemployed workers, he said.
Missouri's April unemployment report is set to be released later this month. Last week the federal government reported 20.5 million workers lost their jobs in April, sending the unemployment rate to 14.7 percent nationwide.
Dixon said business will not soon be able to return to how it was before the pandemic. Continuing to observe measures meant to fight COVID-19 such as social distancing and increased sanitation will help the economy recover more quickly, he said.
Missouri's stay-at-home order ended May 3 and was replaced by a reopening order that allows all businesses to reopen. However, local restrictions keeping some sectors closed continue in areas such as Boone County.
