Lake of the Ozarks Archives

Missouri’s health director doesn’t want to see a repeat of Memorial Day weekend at Lake of the Ozarks

July 3, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s health director is urging you to wear a mask if needed, if you’re traveling to the popular Lake of the Ozarks this Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on July 2, 2020, as the governor looks on (photo courtesy of Governor Mike Parson’s Flickr page)

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Director Dr. Randall Williams doesn’t want to see a repeat of Memorial Day weekend, where videos of people at packed Lake-area swimming pools made national news.

“If you’re a young person or anyone and you’re going out, as the governor just said, it is so important to still use hand sanitizer, to social distance and to wear a mask if you need to,” Williams says.

Dr. Williams addressed Capitol reporters Thursday afternoon, during a Jefferson City media briefing. He was joined by Governor Mike Parson.

DHSS posted Friday on its website that Missouri has now seen 22,830 confirmed COVID-19 cases. That is up 547 from Thursday’s number of 22,283. There have now been 1,026 deaths in Missouri from coronavirus.

Thousands of people from across the Midwest are celebrating the Fourth of July weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks. With Friday being a state holiday, some are celebrating a three-day weekend.

“That a situation like we had (during Memorial Day weekend) at Lake of the Ozarks where people are literally right next to each other, even though they’re outside. We really don’t want to duplicate that. We don’t want to lose ground, we’ve worked so hard to get to where we are,” says Williams.

The governor’s next media briefing is set for Monday afternoon at 3 in Jefferson City.

Lake of the Ozarks company gets big sales boost since state reopened, crowded pool parties on the news

June 22, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The largest vacation rental company at the Lake of the Ozarks was facing potential layoffs around April 30 due to coronavirus restrictions. Since the state reopened in May, the business has done an about face. Russell Burdette with Your Lake Vacation tells Missourinet the phones have been ringing off the hook.

Lake of the Ozarks company gets big sales boost since state reopened, crowded pool parties on the news

“Traditionally, June is not a very busy month compared to July because kids are still getting out of school,” he says. “So usually Memorial Day weekend, we usually fill up maybe 50-60% max. This is the first Memorial Day weekend that we’ve ever sold out in 35 years. And normally this time of year, we would have, out of 100 properties, we’d have at least 20 or 30 sitting there empty.”

The local population is about 5,000. Burdette says over Memorial Day weekend, that figure swelled to about 500,000 people.

He says the company’s customers have been tired of being stuck at home during the pandemic.

“The big three things that we heard that were going to benefit us was that people weren’t going to fly like they did before, they were looking for a drive to destination, they wanted a private home or condominium where they could stay apart from other people and then they wanted a place where they could do things outdoors. We heard that right at the end of April,” he says. “We said ‘Wow. When our state opens up, we are primed to succeed.’”

The company has also experienced a boost in business since international news showing crowded area pool parties over the Memorial Day weekend. Burdette says some people now know the vacation spot exists.

“Even if they don’t come now, they’ve probably marked that they’re going to look at us in the future. Because they’re like ‘Oh, we didn’t know there was a lake that was 100 miles long right smack dab in the middle of the United States and that you can actually rent a home or condo right on the water,’” he says.

Weekends in July are booked but you might be able to snatch up a good deal on a Monday through Thursday rental. August still has some openings.

He expects to blow 2019 sales out of the water within the next month.

Visitors and campers flock to Missouri State Parks during COVID-19

June 19, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri’s 91 state parks have had a spike in visitor traffic during the coronavirus era. David Kelly, Deputy Director of Missouri State Parks, says workers and volunteers are keeping busy.

A scenic overlook at Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton, MO at the Lake of the Ozarks.

“What I’ve heard from some staff is like almost every weekend is like a holiday weekend,” he says. “So we’re seeing a lot more people. So far, the staff are holding up real well. We’ve got lots of good volunteers – our campground hosts. We couldn’t do it without our campground hosts and other volunteers.”

Ha Ha Tonka State Park in mid-Missouri’s Camdenton is a heavily-visited place, along with Meramec State Park near eastern Missouri’s Sullivan and the Current River State Park near southern Missouri’s Salem.

Kelly says camping reservations are also climbing as residents stay closer to home. Beginning July 1, all state campgrounds will be fully reopened. During the height of the coronavirus, the state restricted camping use and also closed four state parks.

Kelly says Missouri’s beaches are experiencing high-than-normal traffic.

“There are other swimming pools and other water activities in cities that are not open,” he says. “And so we’re seeing increased traffic at our beaches.”

Popular beaches include Stockton Lake in southwest Missouri, Lake of the Ozarks in mid-Missouri and Mark Twain Lake in northeast Missouri.

Cristobal expected to bring heavy rain and possible flash flooding to parts of Missouri (AUDIO)

June 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) says Tropical Depression Cristobal will cause widespread rain across the state, especially in mid-Missouri. Columbia, Jefferson City, Sedalia and Lake of the Ozarks are expected to receive two to three inches, by Tuesday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in St. Louis says Tropical Depression Cristobal is expected to bring heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes to parts of Missouri (June 8, 2020 map courtesy of NWS St. Louis Twitter)

NWS St. Louis meteorologist Sally Johnson says rain should begin falling in far southern Missouri by 6 p.m. Monday. The rain should arrive in Jefferson City by midnight.

“It continues through most of the day (Tuesday), but it does move through fairly quick,” Johnson says. “By Tuesday evening, we only have a 30 percent chance and that’s by 7 o’clock,” Johnson says.

Tropical Depression Cristobal is expected to bring heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes to parts of Missouri. Johnson tells Missourinet that flash flooding is also possible.

“Since a lot of this is falling at night, if you are driving at night, it is very difficult to tell how deep the water is you’re about to drive through. So, make sure that you know your routes,” says Johnson.

The NWS also says the heavy rains will likely cause new river flooding.

The St. Louis and Kansas City areas should see less than an inch of rain.

The NWS St. Louis office says while it’s not rare to see the remnants of tropical systems impacting Missouri, they normally happen in late summer or early fall.

The NWS says this is the earliest a tropical system has impacted the area on record. Before today, the two earliest occurrences were for remnants of unnamed storms that impacted far eastern Missouri on June 14, 1906 and on June 15, 1901.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with NWS St. Louis meteorologist Sally Johnson, which was recorded on June 8, 2020:

National Weather Service urges Missourians to drink plenty of water on Saturday (AUDIO)

June 5, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) says the Lake of the Ozarks and southwest Missouri will see the state’s hottest temperatures on Saturday, with heat index values reaching about 100 to 105 degrees.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield says heat index values will reach 100 in Osage Beach on Saturday June 6, 2020 (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

NWS Springfield meteorologist Eric Wise says it will be hot and humid across the Ozarks.

“We’re going to see highs probably in the low to maybe even the mid 90’s and with the humidity, the heat index or the feel-like temperature is probably going to approach 100 to 105 degrees in spots,” Wise says.

The NWS Springfield office says heat index values on Saturday will reach 100 in Osage Beach, and 105 in Warsaw.

“Take frequent breaks, if you have to be outside, get in the shade,” says Wise. “Air conditioning would be good, and check on people, the elderly and especially people without air conditioning.”

Wise also urges you to drink plenty of water and to avoid alcohol and caffeine tomorrow.

Saturday’s heat index will also make it feel like 105 degrees in Joplin, Springfield, Rolla and Salem.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield meteorologist Eric Wise, which was recorded on June 5, 2020:

Have more coronavirus cases popped up from Lake of the Ozarks holiday partying?

June 3, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Service Director Randall Williams says he’s not aware of any additional coronavirus cases stemming from Memorial Day weekend partying at the Lake of the Ozarks. So far, only one person from mid-Missouri’s Boone County is known to have tested positive after being there.

Have more coronavirus cases popped up from Lake of the Ozarks holiday partying?

“Camden County, which was the number one county, has not seen any more positives,” says Williams. “And that’s now been a good while ago – ten days, eleven days.”

The popular summer destination draws partiers from all over the state and region. After local and national media plastered video and pictures of crowded pool parties at the Lake of the Ozarks from that weekend, leaders spoke out.

Dr. Williams said when young and healthy individuals who get the virus without showing symptoms transmit it to a more vulnerable person, that’s when tragic events could happen. St. Louis County officials issued a travel advisory urging residents who were there and ignored guidelines to self-quarantine for 14 days or until testing negative for the virus.

Since March, nearly 14,000 people have tested positive in Missouri for the coronavirus. At least 786 patients have died from the disease. The state has tested more than 211,000 people.

Missourian who partied at Lake of the Ozarks tests positive for coronavirus

May 29, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Camden County Health Department says a Boone County resident in central Missouri who has tested positive for the coronavirus visited the Lake of the Ozarks during Memorial Day Weekend. Local and national media have plastered video and pictures on the news of crowded pool parties last weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks showing visitors ignoring social distance guidelines.

KOLR-TV in Springfield reports a list of places the person visited at the Lake of the Ozarks area include:

Saturday, May 23, 2020
• Backwater Jacks: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
• Shady Gators and Lazy Gators Pool: 5:40 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Backwater Jacks 9:40 p.m. – 10 p.m.
•
Sunday May 24
• Buffalo Wild Wings: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
• Shady Gators: 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. -7 p.m.
• Taxi from Shady Gators to private residence around 7 p.m.
•
The public who may have been in these places is asked to monitor themselves for symptoms:
• fever
• cough
• shortness of breath
• body aches
• headache
• nausea, vomiting
• diarrhea
• loss of taste or smell

If you develop symptoms, the Health Department wants you to contact your physician, and isolate until test results are known and to stay home if you’re sick.

The Boone County Health Department and other local health departments are working to contact others.

Memorial Day weekend is the start of the popular tourist destination’s busy summer season. Partiers are expected to be back this weekend and throughout the summer months.

Are Missouri’s public swimming pools safe to use during COVID-19 outbreak?

May 26, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Some Missouri families might be thinking about skipping trips to the public swimming pool this summer since the coronavirus continues to make waves. The CDC’s new guidelines for public swimming pools say parents should consider whether their children can stay six feet away from people they don’t live with and, if not, don’t take the kids to the pool.

Are Missouri’s public swimming pools safe to use during COVID-19 outbreak?

Chezney Schulte, the communicable disease coordinator for the Cole County Health Department, says if people are practicing social distance and pools are properly maintained, the chances of getting the virus are low.

“It is eyes, nose and mouth transfer of droplets from an infected person. So, certainly that could occur in the pool if you’re coughing or sneezing or sputtering on someone that’s close by. But as far as the virus living in the pool, that’s not thought to be a readily mode of transmission from person to person,” she says. “It’s understood that just because of the chemical balance in the pool water, if those are maintained properly, that that would not be a high-risk environment for transmission of the virus. And so, it really is just maintaining that physical distance from others.”

Missouri does not have capacity limits for public swimming pools but some cities and counties might have stricter rules to follow.

Schulte also encourages pools to disinfect frequently-used surfaces between use or often, including concession areas, pool chairs and tables.

“It’s highly beneficial to get our kids and our families back active, especially in these outdoor environments and things like that in the summer heat but it’s good to just understand what you can do at an individual level to decrease your risk no matter what activity you might be involved in,” says Schulte.

The Lake of the Ozarks has been making national headlines for pictures and a video showing an unidentified business with people crowded into the pool and bar area over the weekend. Schulte says simple precautions go a long way in the fight against the coronavirus.

“A crowded environment at a pool or interacting with people outside your family group, people you might not know their health status of or anything like that, that becomes a more high-risk activity. So, you have so much of the control there of your risk of exposure to COVID-19,” says Schulte.

Local health departments are in charge of enforcing the statewide requirements.

Crowded pool parties at Lake of the Ozarks lead to quarantine advisories for St. Louis County

May 26, 2020 By Ashley Byrd

After videos of crowded pool parties at Lake of the Ozarks went viral nationwide, St. Louis County health officials issued a request that “any person who has traveled and engaged in this behavior should self-quarantine for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result for COVID-19. As all current DPH guidance recommends that employers screen employees for health risks, employers should also consider adding a question related to recent travels and social distancing behaviors.” (The full advisory is at the end of this article.)

County Executive Dr. Sam Page said, “This reckless behavior endangers countless people and risks setting us back substantially from the progress we have made in slowing the spread of COVID-19. I encourage everyone to follow the Department of Public Health advisory to determine a safe path forward in the workplace.”

As well as advising employers to screen employees for health risks, county DPH now recommends employers should consider adding a question related to recent travels and social distancing behaviors.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson tells MSNBC the complete disregard for social distancing guidelines is serious.

“This kind of very risky behavior really – I’m sure it was fun at the time – but very risky behavior and then that’s going to go back not only to St. Louis, which of course we’re very concerned about, but probably to locations around the Midwest,” she says.

The state health director, Dr. Randall Williams issued a stern warning on Memorial Day:

“This Memorial Day, we caution that COVID-19 is still here, and social distancing needs to continue to prevent further spread of infections. Close contact with others even if you are in the outdoors is still considered close contact and can lead to more infections as we still have new cases of COVID-19 being detected each day in Missouri. The virus can be transmitted even among those young and healthy who aren’t experiencing symptoms. When they then carry the virus and transmit it to a more vulnerable person, this is when we tend to see the long-lasting and tragic impact of these decisions that are being made.”

It’s up to county health departments to enforce any state health guidelines, usually based on local complaints or reports.

Kehoe praises Missouri’s recovery plan; emphasizes importance of expanding COVID-19 testing capability (AUDIO)

May 6, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s lieutenant governor is pleased with the state’s “Show Me Strong Recovery Plan,” and says residents are ready to return to work. Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R) says the state has safely re-opened.

Missouri Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe (right) applauds as Governor Mike Parson delivers his State of the State Address on January 15, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“This is a gradual, phased-in opening, but it really does set the tone for us moving forward both economically, socially, etc.,” Kehoe says.

He notes that expanding the COVID-19 testing capacity is a top priority for Governor Mike Parson, and is one of the four essential pillars of the plan.

Kehoe says the state now has the capability of performing about 50,000 tests each week, between the state health lab in Jefferson City and at least 15 private labs and participating health care institutions.

The deadly coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on Missouri tourism, impacting attractions, hotels and restaurants across the state. It’s impacting Branson, the Lake of the Ozarks, St. Louis, Kansas City and many smaller communities.

Kehoe, who serves on the state’s Tourism Commission, says they have voted to form a special task force.

“We’ve put together 16 companies from around the state that are both private and public, so we have everything from state parks to the Aquarium in St. Louis to convention and visitors bureaus in Kansas City,” says Kehoe.

Other representatives include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and convention and visitors bureaus at the Lake of the Ozarks and Springfield. Kehoe says Missouri’s tourism industry is ready to highlight state tourism assets, and emphasizes the importance of keeping visitors and employees safe.

Governor Parson traveled to Bass Pro Shops in Springfield on Monday morning, to discuss the re-opening. Bass Pro is one of the biggest companies in Springfield.

Parson and Kehoe also note that another pillar in the recovery plan is the expansion of reserves of personal protective equipment (PPE), by opening public and private supply chains.

As of Friday evening, Parson says the state had ordered about $40 million worth of PPE and had already shipped two million pieces of PPE to local partners, including 300,000 N95 respirator masks, 450,000 face shields and 200,000 surgical masks.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says there are now 8,916 confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri, along with 377 deaths.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, which was recorded on May 4, 2020: