Missouri to lift all COVID-19 restrictions next week, Illinois not so much

Timeline for Illinois Stage 4 currently not known

ST. LOUIS/SPRINGFIELD (Heartland Newsfeed) — Statewide restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic will no longer be in effect in the Show-Me State as of next week. This is according to a statement made Friday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.

The lifting of these restrictions is part of the Phase 2 reopening that will go into effect this upcoming Tuesday, June 16, according to a report from FOX2Now.

“Phase 2 means no statewide order. Missouri will be fully open for business,” Parson states.

Enforcement of guidelines will be in the hands of Missouri’s local authorities

However, local governmental bodies will have the discretion to keep guidelines in place, including enforcement. For instance, both the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County will keep public health orders in place to help stop the virus spread.

“Just because we’re fully reopening the state does not mean that the steps we’ve taken so far should be forgotten,” Parson said.

Physical distancing still encouraged while events begin to re-emerge

Gov. Parson warns the public that the COVID-19 virus is still prevalent. He emphasizes the importance of continuing some form of physical distancing to prevent further spreading of the virus. Moreover, hospitalizations within the state fell by 43 percent from May 1 until the details reveal on Wednesday.

The Missouri State Fair will continue as previously scheduled, but Parson did not discuss specific details. However, Parson did state there’s a chance the operations hours for the fair could face a reduction with potentially no concerts.

Five executive orders to remain in effect in Missouri until year-end

Five emergency declarations made by Parson will remain in effect until December 30. This is in order to keep Federal monies coming into the state in relation to the CARES Act. Additionally, this includes orders that help businesses during the reopening process.

The executive orders include the following:

• Regulatory burdens and certain provisions related to telemedicine and motor carriers still have significant reductions. (Executive Order 20-04)
• Unprepared restaurant foods are still available to the public. (Executive Order 20-05)
• Missouri will continue to mobilize the National Guard in their response efforts. (Executive Order 20-06)
• Waivers regarding notary public requirements relating to physical presence are still in effect. (Executive Order 20-08)
• Executive Order 20-12 is also being extended.

The push for full recovery in Missouri

As the Show Me Recovery Plan moves forward, Gov. Parson is working with community leaders and on activities statewide regarding other issues.

Parson was able to meet with community leaders and activists earlier Friday from Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia inside the Missouri State Capitol building. The meeting elapsed roughly over an hour.

Ledet Brown, Black Kansas City Family organizational president, states the meeting did cover topics relating to racial issues and solutions that include police reform.

“We also discussed ways we can go about getting our goals accomplished and what to do about the policing. How can we fix education and things like that,” Brown said. “It was an open table for the conversation as far as actually getting anything done. We have a long way to go.”

While they might not all see eye-to-eye, Parson plans to meet with the group again.

“And I want to say that there are some issues that we are not gonna agree on,” Parson said.

It’s a bit trickier in Illinois

Meanwhile, advancing beyond Stage 3 across the river is proving more difficult, even as counties are pushing for approval to advance to Stage 4 of their reopening stages.

Due to logistical and perhaps some other issues, Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Friday officially canceling the biggest events of the summer. The Illinois State Fair in Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fair in DuQuoin will not be taking place later this summer.

“The Illinois and DuQuoin State Fairs have been some of my favorite opportunities to celebrate our agricultural communities and the residents who make Illinois so exceptional,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “But it’s because the fairs are such a treasure to so many thousands of people that my administration, like those of our neighboring Midwestern states, must make the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 State Fairs in light of the risk posed by COVID-19.”

WREX reports that the Illinois State Fair attracted 600,000 visitors in 2019, according to a report from Pritzker’s office.

Regarding show animals, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) will host a livestock expo in September. Meanwhile, the general project show held by 4-H will now be online.

This would be the first time the Illinois State Fair has had a cancellation. The last time the DuQuoin State Fair had a cancellation was when IDOA took over ownership of the fairgrounds in 1986.

For more Illinois and Missouri news, follow Jake Leonard @JakeLeonardWPMD and Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter. Additionally, you can follow Heartland Newsfeed on Facebook and Reddit among other platforms.

Jake Leonard

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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