ST. LOUIS — While the reopening of retail stores, restaurants and bars is expected to be allowed May 18 in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, the timing for some other businesses has yet to be worked out, Mayor Lyda Krewson says.
Krewson, in a Facebook Live briefing Wednesday afternoon, said details for beauty shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors and some other businesses offering personal services is "a little bit up in the air right now."
An aide said in an interview later that barber shops also are in that category.
The mayor, who took questions from the public, also said "we are still talking about" how to deal with child day care facilities, which now are limited to serving families of essential workers.
"We expect that more will be able to open," she said but didn't elaborate.
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Krewson added that details for large-draw venues in the city such as the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Zoo and the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Art Museum are still under discussion.
The mayor has been working with County Executive Sam Page on a plan to gradually reopen the city-county economy largely shut down six weeks ago by stay-at-home orders issued to try to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Krewson in her briefing also echoed points made earlier Wednesday by Page.
The mayor said businesses would be required to have employees dealing directly with customers to wear masks and that employers would be required to supply them.
Krewson, like Page, said she is considering authorizing businesses to refuse service to customers who aren't covering their faces.
The mayor said the tentative plan for relaxing restrictions will strongly recommend that customers wear masks but wouldn't require it. She said social distancing — staying six feet away from others — also will be urged.
Krewson added that a current ban on social gatherings of more than 10 people is likely to be continued "for a while."
The city and county are both expected to release further details later this week.
The mayor said details for reopening City Hall and other city government buildings have yet to be worked out but that large numbers of people in the general public won't be allowed in all at once. The reopenings will take place gradually, she said.
"We can't flood City Hall with visitors on May 18," she said.
Krewson said she and Page are working on the reopening plan in conjunction with the pandemic task force established by metro area hospitals.
She said the task force believes "we did hit the peak" of COVID-19 cases about a week ago and that the number of new hospitalizations of patients with the virus and in intensive care units and on ventilators has been trending down.
But she said the number of cases can be expected to increase as testing increases.Â
She said "there's such a divide in our community" on the situation. There are "folks who want to stay home until we get a vaccine."
"I don't think we're going to be able to do that," she said.
On the other extreme, she said, are "the folks who never wanted us to close businesses in the first place."
She said she believed that "most of us...are somewhere in the middle" — realizing that "we've got to get back to work" but by limiting risk with steps such as social distancing and wearing masks.
