Today’s update discusses:

• Governor's optimism about lifting pandemic-related restrictions
• Indecision on whether to hold state fair
• Delayed road construction projects
• Declining unemployment claims
• Contact tracing through Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

ECONOMY

• Although an official announcement is expected later this week, Governor Parson has been positive about lifting pandemic-related restrictions. When the state began reopening in early May, Governor Parson explained the goals the state would need to meet to move forward, which included more testing, an increase in PPE, an increase in hospital capacity, and a decrease in positive cases. According to the Governor, the state not only has met those goals, but also has exceeded them.
• Governor Parson is likely to announce this week whether the state fair will proceed. The fair director, Mark Wolfe, stated that some of the fair’s sponsors have already withdrawn due to financial reasons and more could do the same.
• In light of budgetary restraints, the state will eliminate or delay about 20 road construction projects. There has not been an official announcement on which projects will be affected, but the director of the Missouri Department of Transportation has stated that no projects will move forward until the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic becomes clearer.
• The Missouri Department of Labor stated that unemployment claims for last week were at 19,820, the lowest they have been since the pandemic began. The state has now continued to see a decrease in claims over two consecutive months.

RESOURCES

• While many states across the nation have implemented contact tracing efforts, Missouri’s plan is still a work in progress. The Department of Health and Senior Services has said that the contact tracing plan is being handled at the state level. Some officials within the state are concerned about the lack of contact tracing, despite funding allocated to it. However, the DHSS noted that they are working on “a robust analysis” of how to effectively and properly do contact training.