Stay At Home
At 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, a stay-at-home order went into effect for Cole County. Issued by the Cole County Health Department, the stated goal of the order is to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community. This order will stay in effect until 5 p.m. on April 11, unless otherwise extended or suspended. While a stay-at-home order may sound simple, I’m sure it still raises questions about what exactly it means for our day-to-day lives. Does the stay-at-home order mean stay in your home and don’t go outside? What about going to the grocery store or going to the doctor? Small business owners may wonder how this could affect their shops, too. Well, in order to help, here’s some information from the Cole County Health Department.
The health department’s order requires all individuals living in Cole County to stay at their residence, unless participating in essential activities, essential government functions or to operate essential businesses and operations. For many of us, that means you should stay at home as much as possible, but you can still go to the grocery store and pharmacy; visit your doctor if you’re sick or have an emergency medical need; and help take care of relatives in another household. There are also exemptions if your job or business helps ensure the health and safety of the community.
Additionally, the stay-at-home order does not mean you must stay inside your home all day, every day. If you’re interested in getting outside for physical activity, you still can. Under the order, all parks and open outdoor recreation areas are encouraged to stay open. As a precaution against COVID-19, however, all indoor and outdoor playgrounds are closed. If you do decide to visit a local park, please be sure to practice social distancing by staying at least six-foot away from others and avoiding large groups.
Essential businesses are still allowed to remain open under the order. Those include health care facilities, grocery stores, gas stations, hardware stores and laundromats. Under the order, non-essential businesses and operations must cease, aside from minimum basic operations. Restaurants and other food establishments are prohibited from offering dine-in services, but pickup, drive-thru and delivery services are still allowed. If possible, businesses are encouraged to have employees work from home.
For additional details, I encourage you to visit the Cole County Health Department’s website or give them a call at 573-636-2181. If you have questions about COVID-19 in Missouri, you can visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ website or call their 24-hour hotline at 877-435-8411.
Please feel free to contact my office at (573) 751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter.