Governor to allow coronavirus State of Emergency to expire

Gov. Mike Parson announced Friday that Missouri's COVID-19-related State of Emergency will expire today and not be renewed.

The order had been in place since March 13, 2020.

"Thanks to the effectiveness of the vaccine, widespread efforts to mitigate the virus, and our committed health care professionals, past needs to continue the state of emergency are no longer present," Parson said. "Over the last 22 months, we have coordinated with local, state and private partners to mitigate COVID-19 and work towards returning to normalcy. We all now know how to best fight and prevent serious illness from this virus. The State stands ready to provide assistance and response, but there is no longer a need for a state of emergency."

Parson extended the COVID-19-related State of Emergency five times before issuing a final targeted executive order for health care needs in August. Currently, only three of Missouri's border states and 20 other states in the nation have state of emergencies related to COVID-19 in place.

At one time, nearly 600 statutory and regulatory waivers were approved across Missouri state government. Since that peak, waivers have reduced by nearly 80 percent. All remaining COVID-19 related waivers authorized under EO 21-09 will terminate today.

"In Missouri, we never had mandates or forced lockdowns," Parson said. "The main focus of our state of emergency was to provide regulatory flexibility to support and assist Missourians, health care facilities, and businesses and coordinate a COVID-19 response that saved lives and livelihoods. We encourage all Missourians to consider COVID-19 vaccination and to stay diligent, but we can work together to fight COVID-19 while living our normal lives. It is time to take this final step and move forward as a state."