On Monday, St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page announced seven new restrictions to try and prevent COVID-19's spread in the county. There have been 11,507 new cases of COVID-19 in the county, with 297 new cases in the past 24 hours.
Page called the decision "difficult but necessary," noting that over the past several months some St. Louisans have lost loved ones and their livelihoods due to the virus and the economic downturn that has accompanied it. The restrictions, he said, are in an effort to get back to "normal," flatten the new curve, and give parents who are debating sending their children back to school in the fall the best chance at an in-person learning experience. The number of COVID-19 cases isn't increasing as quickly as it was at the start of the pandemic, but it is rising more than the county executive hoped it would at this point.
The new restrictions include:
- Capping gatherings at 50 people, beginning Friday at 5 p.m. Groups that have an event pre-approved after that day will be contacted by the Department of Public Health.
- Business occupancy will be capped at 25 percent, rather than 50 percent, as it was in June.
- Bars will close each night beginning at 10, starting on Friday.
- The county will create a process for closing businesses not in compliance with the restrictions/guidelines.
- While waiting for COVID-19 test results, St. Louisans will be told to quarantine. The County Department of Public Health said that not all asymptomatic patients have been quarantining, but it's now strongly recommend that they do so.
- Health care providers will be required to report COVID-19 test results promptly. The Department of Public Health has issued a Rapid Notification Order.
- Teachers will be provided with a place to quarantine should they test positive for COVID-19
The Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force released a statement in support of the new restrictions. "These aren’t easy decisions and not something we take lightly, particularly because we know it will impact people’s livelihoods," Dr. Alex Garza said in the statement. "In order to prevent spread, it takes the efforts of the community. We all must do our part by always wearing a mask in public, regardless if required or not, stay socially distant, and not gather in large crowds. By taking these actions now we hope to avoid all the negative consequences of the pandemic, both to human health and the economy.”
You can watch the full press conference here:
