Missouri extends stay-at-home order through May 3

April 16, 2020 at 5:42 pm Updated: May 27th, 2020 at 11:37 am April Michele Hurst-Fronick

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s stay-at-home order will continue through May 3. Gov. Mike Parson says the date has been extended to get Missourians ready to go back to work on May 4. During today’s COVID-19 briefing, Parson says the extension would give the state more time to do additional testing and recovery from the coronavirus.

“We think by that time we’re going to have a lot more data to be able to go out there and justify what we’re doing and to make sure we’re protecting people every day,” says Parson. “The whole idea is to make sure we’ve got enough time to get people ready to go back into the workforce and allow people that opportunity.”

Parson’s original order was scheduled to continue through April 24.

He says his plan to reopen the state will happen in phases.

“Missouri is incredibly diverse and our reopening efforts will be careful. They will be deliberate and done in phases,” says Parson. “The timing may not look the same in every community. Our hardest hit areas like St. Louis and Kansas City may take longer to fully recover.”

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says his stay-at-home order is scheduled to continue until May 15. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson have also extended their orders and say they will revisit their restrictions around mid-May.

Today, Missouri reports at least 152 people have died from COVID-19 and 5,111 others have tested positive for the respiratory disease.