WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Moniteau County considers continuation of stay-at-home order
COVID-19 case numbers might differ among state and local health authorities because of issues with reporting and address verification.
UPDATE 6:11 P.M.: Moniteau County health officials say they are working to adopt a continuation of the statewide stay-at-home order.
According to a news release, the county wants to adopt the current order and extend the effective date to allow for a decline in new confirmed cases over a 14-day period.
Officials say the county saw a spike in cases between April 14-21.
The Moniteau County Health Center Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting Wednesday to adopt the drafted order. The county commission will consider the order at its meeting Thursday morning.
As of Tuesday night, there were 36 active cases out of 41 total confirmed cases in Moniteau County.
UPDATE 5:15 P.M.: Boone County again reported no new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, while the number in Cole County ticked up by one.
The Boone County health department says 89 of the 93 COVID-19 patients in the county have been released from isolation.
The county has reported no new cases on five of the last six days. County health officials reported one new case Wednesday.
Boone County has only reported one death from COVID-19 -- it was the state's first death, recorded March 18.
Cole County health officials reported one new case Wednesday, bringing the total there to 51. Six cases remain active and 44 people have recovered from COVID-19. Only one death has been reported in Cole County.
The most active county in Mid-Missouri is Saline, where officials on Wednesday reported 188 cases of COVID-19, with 150 of them active. Outbreaks have been reported at two meat processing plants in the county.
UPDATE 4:15 P.M.: The Boonville Lions Aquatic Center will remain closed throughout the summer, the pool said on its Facebook page Wednesday.
“Some (summer) activities, like resumption of summer sport leagues can be done with relative ease; while others, like the swimming pool require considerable work and planning,” Boonville Mayor Ned Beach was quoted as saying in the Facebook post.
The reduction in city staff this month required by a statewide stay-at-home order and the closure of other pools where staff could be certified has made it hard to get the pool ready to open, the city said.
Maintaining and enforcing social distancing would also be almost impossible at a pool, the post said.
Cooper County has been spared from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state department of health has reported only seven cases there and no deaths.
UPDATE 2:30 P.M.: Missouri’s largest city will reopen with significant restrictions next week, as jurisdictions in even the state’s two urban areas begin to move away from stay-at-home orders spurred by the coronavirus.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Wednesday announced that starting May 6, businesses and religious gatherings may resume but under rules limiting crowd sizes and, in some cases, requiring that names and contact information of those in attendance be recorded, The Associated Press reported.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s stay-at-home order ends Sunday, but Kansas City, Jackson County, St. Louis and St. Louis County previously announced plans to extend their orders through at least mid-May.
The St. Louis County town of Eureka said it will reopen Monday, the AP reported.
UPDATE 2:15 P.M.: The state experienced a small increase in new cases of COVID-19 and new deaths from the disease on Wednesday.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said 7,425 cases have been confirmed in the state, an increase of 122. The state reported four new deaths for a total of 318.
The increase was the smallest of the week, though no day this week has seen an increase of more than 200 cases. The four deaths were a significant drop from the 26 new deaths reported Tuesday.
St. Louis County continues to lead the state in cases and deaths. The state says 159 people there have died of complications from the novel coronavirus.
The Missouri Hospital Association reported 891 patients in state hospitals Tuesday, an increase of 236 from Monday. Wednesday numbers were not available.
In Moniteau County, the state reported 40 cases. The county has emerged as a hot spot for the virus with one of the highest per capita rates of infection in the state. Another regional hot spot, Saline County, had 182 cases Wednesday, the state reported.
Saline County's infection rate is more than twice that of St. Louis County.
Gov. Mike Parson will hold his daily COVID-19 briefing at 3 p.m. Watch it in the player below.
UPDATE 1:12 P.M.: The Missouri Gaming Commission said on Wednesday that casinos across the state will remain closed until May 15.
Gov. Mike Parson's office said on Tuesday that casinos would not reopen on May 4 after the statewide stay-at-home order expires.
Casinos have been closed since March 17, more than two weeks before the stay-at-home order went into effect.
The Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville laid off 350 workers earlier this month, citing impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
ORIGINAL: The town of Eureka is breaking ranks with the rest of St. Louis County and planning to reopen Monday, The Associated Press reported.
The mayor is telling residents the time has come to simultaneously deal with the coronavirus while getting the economy back on track.
Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is lifting the statewide stay-at-home order effective Monday, but Democratic St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has extended the county's order until at least mid-May. He's citing concerns that reopening too soon could create a new wave of infections.
Democratic leaders of St. Louis city, Kansas City and Jackson County also have extended their stay-home orders through mid-May.
