A list of Missouri COVID-19 testing locations and providers can be found here.
ECONOMIC RESPONSE
Essential Service Designations:
Governor Parson’s stay-at-home order does not prohibit Missourians from accessing essential services, such as grocery stores, gas stations, and banks, or engaging in outdoor recreation, provided that necessary precautions are taken and maintained to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Missouri follows essential service designations set forth by the federal government. (April 3)
Labor & Workforce Guidance, Standards and Regulations:
Missouri’s recovery plan includes general reopening guidelines for businesses which can be found here.
Governor Parson directed all state workers to return to their offices for in-person work by May 17. (May 5)
Missouri’s Public Workforce System is providing job training opportunities for individuals whose employment has been impacted by COVID-19. (June 10)
Economic Stimulus & Relief:
Missouri will discontinue six federal pandemic-related programs on June 12, including pandemic unemployment assistance, emergency unemployment relief for government entities and nonprofit organizations, federal pandemic unemployment compensation, pandemic emergency unemployment compensation, reimbursement of short-time compensation benefit costs, and mixed earner unemployment compensation. (May 12)
Governor Parson announced more than $133 million in CARES Act funding to support critical services in in several areas. (October 7)
Missouri reinstated requirements for unemployment benefits and food stamps that were previously waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (June 16)
Business Support & Resources:
Governor Parson proclaimed a second extra session of the Missouri General Assembly must convene regarding supplemental appropriations for COVID-19. (October 21)
Governor Parson signed an executive order to continue supporting remote notary services. (September 4)
Governor Parson and Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn announced $20 million in CARES Act Funds will be directed to meat and poultry establishments. (July 22)
Governor Parson announced a new $22 million Nonprofit Relief & Recovery Grant to benefit nonprofits throughout the state. (July 22)
Governor Parson announced $50 million in new grant programs for Missouri businesses. (July 14)
Governor Parson signed a bill providing more flexibility for the Missouri FIRST program, through which the Treasurer’s Office invests in Missouri small businesses, agriculture, and governmental entities. (July 6)
SOCIAL RESTRICTIONS
Reopening:
Missouri announced it had begun providing free at-home COVID-19 tests to all residents. (May 28)
St. Louis County ended its midnight curfew for restaurants and bars. (April 9)
The Missouri government and FEMA announced that an additional 168,000 vaccines would be sent to St. Louis starting April 7. (March 29)
Governor Parson extended the executive order declaring the COVID-19 pandemic a state of emergency until August 31. (March 27)
Missouri announced that all adults would be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning April 9. (March 18)
Teachers; childcare providers; grocery store employees; energy, food agriculture workers; critical infrastructure workers and other essential workers are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. (March 14)
Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services updated its dashboard to include county-level data showing “probable” COVID-19 cases detected by antigen testing. The dashboard can be found here.(March 8)
Governor Parson announced the state would be partnering with the Missouri Pharmacy Association to distribute vaccine shipments to local pharmacies in 84 counties. (March 4)
Vaccinations for Missourians in Phase 1B – Tier 3 will begin on March 15. (March 3)
Missouri launched a website to teach residents about the COVID-19 vaccines. The website can be found here.
In the next month, the Kansas City Government, Walmart and the YMCA will administer 3,500 COVID-19 vaccines to citizens living in ZIP codes with the lowest life expectancy. (February 24)
All state-run COVID-19 vaccination events were cancelled until at least February 19 due to extreme winter weather. (February 16)
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced that 81 Walmart pharmacies have been authorized to administer vaccines beginning February 12. (February 9)
Missouri announced that mass vaccinations would begin in nine different locations across the state, including in Troy, Sedalia, Moberly, Joplin, Cape Girardeau, West Plains, Savannah, St. Robert, and Mexico. (January 29)
Governor Parson announced that the Missouri National Guard would assist the state’s Department of Health & Senior Services in launching vaccination sites. (January 20)
Governor Parson announced that Missouri has reached Phase 1B – Tier 1 of its vaccination plan, which focuses on vaccinating law enforcement, fire service, public health officials and other individuals that “keep Missourians safe.” Phase 1B – Tier 2 begins January 18 and will focus on individuals with chronic diseases or intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. (January 14)
Missouri announced it is on track to vaccinate all healthcare officials by the end of January. (January 8)
More than 66,000 health care workers have received an additional dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Missouri will receive another 73,000 initial doses by January 8. (December 30)
SCHOOL PLANNING:
K-12:
Governor Parson announced changes in Missouri’s K-12 school reopening and operating guidance. (November 12)
St. Louis County expanded its public health order requiring children and students to wear masks. (August 21)
State Higher Education:
A list of Missouri universities and colleges that planned to reopen in the fall can be found here.
Governor Parson announced that five Missouri colleges would receive grants of over $5 million in CARES Act Child Care Plan funding. (October 1)
Produced by Marathon Strategies, an independent PR firm that delivers intelligent communications and research solutions. For information, email Phil Singer at [email protected]
