CLAYTON, Mo. – St. Louis and St. Louis County are easing COVID restrictions. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced the new guidelines during a joint press conference Friday. The updated guidelines are in step with new direction from the Centers for Disease Control.
“Health Order 18” eliminates previous COVID rules in the city of St. Louis. This essentially removes all COVID guidelines in the city of St. Louis.
“We have arrived at a point in the pandemic where we need to lean on personal accountability to stop the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Fred Echols. “We are not out of the woods yet.”
A post to St. Louis County’s COVID-19 website says that “St. Louis County has rescinded its health order requiring masks and social distancing.”
Here are St. Louis County’s reccomendations
- Masks are no longer required in St. Louis County
- We still recommend masks whenever you’re close to people who may not be vaccinated
- If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, please see our list of vaccination events and our appointments page.
“Masks proved to be an effective tool to fight the virus that we knew little about,” said Dr. Sam Page. “If you have not been vaccinated then you should continue to wear a mask.”
Page recommends that kids 12-years old and older get vaccinated. This will help schools open this fall.
The new CDC guidance announced Thursday allows fully vaccinated Americans to stop wearing masks indoors in most settings. The new rules will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools, and other venues. It also removes the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
If you are not vaccinated then experts recommend that you still wear a mask indoors and in crowded outdoor areas. People who have not been vaccinated should also continue to practice social distancing.
All restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus are being rescinded in Kansas City, Missouri, following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed the lawsuit this week saying the restrictions put in place by the St. Louis County Department of Public Health were “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.”
“Just three days after I filed suit, St. Louis County has lifted their restrictions. Citizens of St. Louis County will no longer be subjected to the one-man COVID rule of County Executive Sam Page. This is a great victory for the people of St. Louis County. I will continue to fight to ensure that Missourians’ rights and freedoms are protected,” writes Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
Page responded by saying St. Louis County officials will continue to make all decisions based on science, research and recommendations from the CDC.
The CDC and the Biden administration have faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people — those who are two weeks past their last required COVID-19 vaccine dose — in part to highlight the benefits of getting the shots.
The country’s aggressive vaccination campaign has paid off: U.S. virus cases are at their lowest rate since September, deaths are at their lowest point since last April and the test positivity rate is at the lowest point since the pandemic began.
