Health Department Director Stephanie Browning has extended the current health orders for the county until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 20, according to a release from the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department.
All current restrictions will remain in place, and there aren't any adjustments from the previous orders. Restaurants and bars serving alcohol will continue to close no later than 10:30 p.m., and groups should be limited to a maximum of 10 people per table with social distancing measures in place.
The Columbia city code requires an order to be ratified by the City Council if it's in effect for longer than 21 days, so the council will discuss ratification at its Oct. 5 meeting.
Under the health order, the number of positive cases in the 18-22 age group decreased by 60.9%, according to the release. The 14-day case rate per 10,000 within Columbia has fallen from a high of 91.4 on Sept. 7 to 38.6 on Sept. 30.
The release noted that as of Oct. 1, Boone County hospitals have 71 COVID-19 inpatients, the highest number of inpatients during the pandemic. Boone County residents make up 15% of patients, which the release says indicates that current restrictions are helping protect the community.