Today’s update discusses:

• St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force encouraging residents to continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing
• Department of Health and Senior Services Director issuing opinion on statewide mask and social distancing mandate
• St. Louis Mayor issuing additional restrictions as students return to college
• Teachers in Kansas City area asking Governor to consider their proposal for returning to school
• Missouri State High School Activities Association approving the ability to alternate sport seasons
• State shifting from paper to online reporting

 HEALTH

• As Missouri cases continue to rise, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force encourages St. Louis area residents to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing. Dr. Alex Garza, head of the task force, noted that while the St. Louis area is not seeing a huge drop in cases and hospitalizations, the area definitely is “starting to see it turn.”
• Despite the federal government labeling Missouri as a “red zone” for new COVID-19 cases, some of the state’s health officials insist that mask and social distancing mandates are not the answer. (A state is designated as a “red zone” when positivity rates reach 10% or more or when there are more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week.) Dr. Randall Williams, Director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, stated that “Missouri is a very diverse state ... [that] doesn’t lend itself to that kind of one-size-fits-all strategy.”
• St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson issued a new health order on Wednesday in preparation for young adults returning to college. The order lowers from 75% to 50% the capacity number for bars, restaurants, and nightclubs selling alcohol. In addition, it imposes an 11 p.m. curfew. The order took effect today and will remain in effect until September 7.

EDUCATION

• Some teachers and parents from the Kansas City area are pushing Governor Parson to consider their proposed school reopening plan. Currently, the Governor is leaving it up to individual school districts to determine how and when to proceed. The group’s plan would instead require statewide COVID-19 infections to drop for six weeks before in-person learning resumes. In addition, the plan provides benchmarks for distance learning and requirements for personal protection equipment.
• Today the State High School Activities Association Board of Directors approved alternate seasons for sports affected by the pandemic. According to the Director, this decision “puts into place a plan of action our staff devised in the event a school is not able to participate partially or in whole. This could give those students an opportunity to complete a season in their sport.”

RESOURCES

• While COVID-19 cases are climbing in the state, reporting delays are occurring because the Department of Health has run into technical difficulties as they switch from paper to solely online reporting. According to a recent press release, the Department announced that the new electronic case reporting system will “allow … providers and congregate facilities to report case information for individuals with COVID-19 quickly and easily.”