JEFFERSON CITY — GOP state lawmakers aren’t the only Missouri Republicans fired up about ºüÀêÊÓƵ County’s health orders designed to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a former state senator from Glendale and a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, on April 20 sent a letter to county public health director Dr. Faisal Khan asking him to back up the county’s continued restrictions with data and research.
County Counselor Beth Orwick responded to Schmitt on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat, announced the county would be lifting even more restrictions next week.
But on Friday, Schmitt said in a statement to the Post-Dispatch that the county’s response to him — Orwick’s four-page letter with an eight-page addendum citing data — was unsatisfactory.
People are also reading…
“Unfortunately, ºüÀêÊÓƵ County’s response to our letter was non-responsive, misleading, and insufficient,†Schmitt said. “Given the unsatisfactory response and the restrictions currently in place, our intention is to take legal action.â€
In his April 20 letter to Khan, Schmitt wrote “my office is conducting a careful review of coronavirus restrictions in Missouri, including in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County. . . . This review aims to ensure that current restrictions withstand scrutiny under Missouri law.
“The restrictions of the pandemic were designed and intended as temporary measures, not an endless new world of extraordinary government intrusion on the lives of individual Missourians,†Schmitt said in his 10-page letter.
In her response on Tuesday to Schmitt, Orwick said the county already was assessing further loosening of restrictions.
“Given the growing number of ºüÀêÊÓƵ County residents who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, the county’s public health policies, and the hard work and sacrifice of so many, the situation on the ground in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County has improved to the point that DPH (the Department of Public Health) has recently been considering amending its health orders,†Orwick said.
“In fact, just before your letter arrived, DPH leaders began discussing these anticipated amendments with some stakeholders, conversations of which you are apparently well aware,†she said.
Schmitt’s April 20 letter took aim at ºüÀêÊÓƵ County’s , dated April 9, which allows 50% capacity for all businesses providing “goods and services to the public.†Certain businesses, such as banquet facilities, are limited to 25% capacity.
Doug Moore, spokesman for Page, said Friday that Orwick’s letter would serve as the county’s response to Schmitt’s intention to press forward with legal action.
KSDK (Channel 5) on the exchange of letters between Schmitt and the county officials.
Restrictions eased
Page, in his announcement Wednesday, said officials plan to lift some coronavirus restrictions as early as next week based on updated guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The easing of restrictions is made possible as more people get vaccinated, and I urge everyone to get vaccinated as early as possible,†Page said during a briefing. “ºüÀêÊÓƵ County certainly plans to adopt CDC recommendations into our public health protocols, and we’ll have an announcement soon.â€
Some of the restrictions imposed by the county already have been lifted.
On April 9, for example, the county public health department announced the elimination of a midnight curfew for restaurants, bars and casinos.
The county also lifted a ban on playing arcade games as long as the games are in a separate location from the dining and drinking area and customers remain socially distanced, wear a face covering, do not consume food or beverages while playing and the machines are wiped down between customer uses.
A third change allows those officiating outdoor youth and adult sports to remove their face coverings. Those officiating games indoors still must wear a face covering.
“We are hopeful that with more people getting vaccinated, we can continue our gradual reopening of ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, focusing on the safety of our residents and employees,†Page said at the time.
For now, other restrictions remain in place, including occupancy limits in restaurants and banquet facilities, space distances between tables and bar stools and mask requirements.
Legislative efforts
Schmitt is just the latest Republican to put a spotlight on Page’s response to the pandemic.
On Tuesday, the Missouri Senate moved a step closer to approving legislation giving local elected officials oversight of public health orders.
The proposal, which is expected to come up for a final vote within days, would require health officials to get approval from city councils or county government boards before extending emergency health restrictions beyond a 30-day period.
Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, attached the measure to an unrelated proposal in an attempt to keep the legislation alive in the waning days of the General Assembly’s annual session.
Onder introduced the proposed limits in response to an outcry from churches and businesses that faced restrictions on their operations in the past year under local emergency health orders to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The orders, which included early closing times, occupancy limits and outright closures, were imposed to keep people socially distant. That is a key measure identified by federal and local health experts to limit the spread of the potentially deadly respiratory virus.
Onder and other Republicans have played down the seriousness of the coronavirus and say the restrictions amount to “tyranny.â€
Opponents, including local public health departments, the state medical association and other health care groups, warned the change would politicize public health issues.