Missouri governor announces ‘an end to the COVID-19 crisis’

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) on Wednesday announced an “end to the COVID-19 crisis” in his state.

Parson said that starting on Friday, Missouri would begin to treat the coronavirus as endemic.

“The COVID-19 crisis is over in the state of Missouri, and we are moving on,” Parson said in a statement announcing the change.

“Over the past two years, we have learned a lot that will help us respond to future outbreaks and challenges that may come our way,“ the governor also said. “We don’t know if this virus will ever completely go away, but we do know that there is no longer a need to live in crisis mode and that we can shift our response to meet the current needs of Missourians.”

Paula Nickelson, the acting director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, added that “Missourians should feel confident that we will remain vigilant when monitoring COVID-19 levels throughout the state.”

Missouri reported 1,068 coronavirus cases in the past seven days, with an average of 153 cases per day. The state has seen three COVID-19–related deaths in the past week, according to the state health department’s data.

After a rapid uptick in COVID-19 infections fueled by the omicron variant, several states began to shift to less frequent case reporting after dropping certain pandemic-related requirements such as masking.

Other states, including California, have already begun to pivot to treating the virus as endemic.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has said the state will continue to counter misinformation and disinformation regarding the virus.