contact tracing Archives

Missouri’s governor says all of the state’s public schools are in session as of this week … some in-person, some online and some with a hybrid model.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks to schoolchildren and teachers in mid-Missouri’s California School District on September 9, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters that State Education Commissioner Dr. Margie Vandeven and state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams met Wednesday with leaders of local schools and local public health agencies to assess COVID-19 mitigation strategies, state guidance for school masking, contact tracing and quarantine and isolation.

“We want our kids in school and we will continue to do everything we can to keep them safe, healthy and moving forward,” Parson says.

The governor says Missouri’s colleges and universities are also off to a good start. Governor Parson says he had a recent conference call with the presidents of Missouri’s four-year universities, to discuss the status of COVID on college campuses.

“We received updates on the opening of the fall semester, COVID-19 mitigation and testing protocols as well as new and future testing breakthroughs that may be utilized in the near future,” says Parson.

The governor emphasizes that they also discussed the continued willingness of state officials to assist Missouri universities with testing, contact tracing and in obtaining critical resources. He also warns that Missouri continues to see an increase in COVID cases for college-age students.

DHSS reports Missouri has now had 99,160 confirmed COVID cases, along with 1,701 deaths.