Many St. Louis-area residents are having a tough time with mental health issues as they try to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. They are worried about a lack of structure and an uncertain future. Also, St. Louis County's executive wants to establish a special fund of federal money to fight the coronavirus.
More than 240-thousand Missouri residents have filed for unemployment benefits since the start of the pandemic. Many are very concerned about whether they'll ever be able to return to their jobs. Also, elected officials in St. Louis County and the city are suggesting an extension of social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home-orders.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says health care experts report the state could be at a peak in the fight against the coronavirus. Also, the pandemic has placed more focus on health disparities in the St. Louis region.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson says schools in the state will not reopen this academic year. He says online learning should continue as the state responds to the coronavirus. Also, small farmers are coming up with new ways to reach out to customers as farmers market openings are delayed due to the outbreak.
St. Louis Health Director Dr. Fred Echols says COVID-19 is prevalent in the African American community. In an op-ed for the St. Louis American, he writes that the 12 patients in the city who have died of the disease were black. Also, Missouri is converting a Florissant hotel into a makeshift facility that could house patients if the region experiences a surge in cases.
Many congregations in the St. Louis area are taking steps to mark some of the most important religious events of the year in the age of social distancing. Also, state health officials are reporting coronavirus among transit workers and prison inmates.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson says the city is anticipating a COVID-19 budget impact in the tens of millions of dollars. Her comments come as the newest numbers show areas of north St. Louis have some of the highest coronavirus rates in the city.
Missouri residents are being told to stay home to help limit the spread of the new coronavirus. Governor Mike Parson has issued the order. He says local governments can continue to implement tighter regulations. The statewide measure comes as leaders of a new task force in the St. Louis region estimate the peak for COVID-19 cases will likely come in the next two or three weeks.
The COVID-19 outbreak has prompted another jump in weekly unemployment insurance claims in Missouri and Illinois. It is also causing St. Louis County to close its parks so more people follow a stay-at-home order. And amid the pandemic, lawmakers are set to return to Jefferson City next week.
Missouri's governor says the state budget is expected to take a more than $500 million hit related to COVID-19. Mike Parson is hoping money from the federal government will help fill that gap. Also, we speak with the incoming bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri on adjustments being made to deal with the outbreak.
The city of St. Louis has closed its buildings to the public as it deals with coronavirus. The move comes as another university takes a role in a potential COVID-19 treatment and another area newspaper takes drastic measures to cope with the pandemic.
Multiple nursing home residents in the St. Louis area have tested positive for COVID-19. Many homes are understaffed and are struggling to protect patients from infection. That battle comes as Missouri's governor prepares to extend social distancing measures and the state moves to waive some requirements for out-of-state doctors to treat coronavirus patients in Missouri.
St. Louis is taking more precautions as the number of COVID-19 cases in the region continues to increase. Officials are shutting down more recreation facilities in city parks. The action comes as area residents have more concerns about coronavirus. We answer some of those questions as part of our Curious Louis series.
President Donald Trump has approved disaster declarations for Missouri and Illinois amid the coronavirus outbreak. The declarations come as St. Louis County reports a second COVID-19 death and amid an increased focus on the different approaches to the pandemic.
The Food and Drug Administration is clearing Washington University researchers to test a possible new coronavirus disease treatment involving a blood transfusion process. It comes as St. Louis County's executive says the worst of the outbreak might not hit the region for weeks. The uncertainty has several couples in the area adjusting wedding plans because of restrictions on social gatherings.
The governors of Missouri and Illinois say budget projections in both states will not hold as the coronavirus drains the economy. Mike Parson says any revenue estimate for Missouri is now unrealistic and J.B. Pritzker says he'll work with the General Assembly to come up with a new budget for the new fiscal year. Also, a group of engineering students at Missouri S&T is producing masks for the hospital in Rolla.
Health officials in St. Louis city and St. Charles County have announced the first COVID-19 deaths in those areas. The announcements come as Harvard University researchers say hospitals in the region probably won't have enough beds to treat all the coronavirus patients who will need care.
Residents St. Louis city and county are being told they must stay home as the region tries to halt the spread of coronavirus. People can still go outside for exercise or to get groceries and prescriptions. The wide-ranging order takes effect as the number of positive tests for COVD-19 continues to increase.
As more COVID-19 cases are confirmed in the region, listeners continue to submit questions to our Curious Louis series. St. Louis Public Radio's Shahla Farzan answers a few of the most common inquires that have come in over the past few days.
A patient from Boone County is the first coronavirus-related death in Missouri. State officials say there are two dozen COVID-19 cases in the state. They include two physicians from Washington University. In Illinois, nearly 290 cases are being reported, including at least 7 in the Metro East.
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