Boone County to remain under health order as state rules expire

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)

Much of Missouri will no longer be under any COVID-19 health orders starting Tuesday.

Boone County will be one of the exceptions.

Gov. Mike Parson said last week he will let the statewide health order expire Monday, leaving no statewide orders in place starting Tuesday.

However, Boone County will remain under its current health order until June 22. And according to a timeline laid out by the county's health director last month, some sort of rules will remain in place throughout the summer.

Kurt Mirtsching, one of the managers for Shakespeare's Pizza says businesses will need to make decisions that they feel are best for their employees and customers.

"Some will want to go outside of Boone County to have a different experience, some will stay inside Boone County and have the experience there but I think from our vantage point we here at Shakespeare's just need to do what we feel is the most appropriate thing for our employees and our customers with safety as the number one priority," Mirtsching said.

Mirtsching says Shakespeare's is expected to open its dining room tonight with some additional procedures to respect social distancing.

"Our sales have been way down - there's no denying that since we've closed our dining rooms but today with new procedures in place we are going to open our dining rooms and hopefully we'll have customers come that will feel safe and feel like it's a fun thing to do, and we'll be getting back some of those sales," Mirtsching said.

Orders also remain in some larger metro areas such as Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis.

Boone County residents will still be ordered to follow social distancing guidelines, contact sport guidelines and public gathering limits. Boone County businesses will also continue to follow orders regarding occupancy limits, personal care business guidelines, bar guidelines and daycare limits.

Mirtsching says they're optimistic about the future.

"When this all first hit, we saw a dramatic decrease in sales but it was obvious that was the appropriate thing to do, as painful as it was the safety of everyone is the big priority," Mirtsching said. "So we're moving forward with procedures that we think are going to keep safety at the top of the list."

Check back for more information as it develops or tune in to ABC 17 News at 5 and 6 p.m.