Gov. Mike Parson announces statewide stay-at-home order

MISSOURI - Governor Mike Parson announced a statewide stay-at-home order for the state of Missouri on Friday afternoon.

Parson announced the order during his daily media briefing. The order will start at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, April 6, and last until Friday, April 24, at 11:59 p.m. Parson said he made this decision to "stay ahead of the battle."

The "Stay Home Missouri" order requires the following:

Individuals currently residing in Missouri should avoid leaving their homes

All individuals in Missouri should avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people

All public and charter schools must remain closed throughout the order's time frame

Any entity that doesn't employ individuals who are "essential workers" should follow social distancing limitations

Any entity that does employ individuals who are "essential workers" and that has retail sales to the public should limit the number of individuals in any retail location as follows: 25% or less of the entity's building code occupancy with retail square footage of less than 10,000 square feet 10% or less of the entity's building code occupancy with retail square footage of 10,000 square feet or more.



The order doesn't prohibit people in Missouri from accessing essential services, like grocery stores, gas stations and banks, or in engaging in outdoor recreation with proper social distancing.

On March 23, Parson signed an order mandating social distancing and instructing Missourians to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people. That order was set to expire on Monday.

Since then, more than 40 counties across the state have instituted their own stay-at-home orders. Based on population alone, nearly three quarters of all Missourians are already under some form of a stay-at-home order.

The current number of COVID-19 positive cases in Missouri is 2,113 and there have been 22 COVID-19 related deaths.

Parson reported that there is at least one positive case in 76 Missouri counties. Over half of the total positive cases are in the St. Louis region.

Missouri state House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said in a statement that the House Democrats support Parson's order.

“I am thankful for Governor Parson’s decision to impose a statewide stay-at-home order," Quade said. "I’m also thankful for the countless medical professionals and Missourians from across the state who contacted his office in recent weeks urging him to take this action."

In recent days, a number of groups representing nurses who are on the front lines fighting COVID-19 in the state have asked the Governor to issue the statewide order.

As recently as yesterday, when asked about whether or not he would issue a stay-at-home order, the governor said it is challenging because of how diverse the state is.