Cole County’s stay-at-home order is expiring on Saturday. The Cole County Health Department announced Tuesday it would not be renewing the order, as well as immediately rescinding its establishment order regarding bars, restaurants and clubs.
Now the county is following the statewide stay-at-home order, which tells Missourians to only leave the house to perform essential activities and practice safe social distancing. It also allows nonessential businesses to remain open as long as they follow social distancing guidelines and only have 10 or less people inside the business at all times. Cole County’s order was somewhat stricter, shutting down all nonessential businesses for its duration.
Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman said residents were confused by which order they should follow.
“Even our law enforcement… here in Jefferson City,” Bushman said, “were having some issues with whether they went with our stay-at-home order or whether they went with the state of Missouri’s… we just decided it would be easier just to go with the state’s.”
Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin said she worked closely with the Cole County Health Department as it was making its decision. She also asked residents to look at what the state’s stay-at-home order entails and said Jefferson City’s resilience will help see it through the pandemic.
“Jefferson City’s faced a lot of challenges, as we know, in the last year,” Tergin said. “We’ve been faced with the tornado… and floods, and hailstorms and now this. But I have no doubt that Jefferson City is a very strong community. We’ve seen it before, we’ve proven that, and I know that we will be able to come out of this together and stronger.”
Cole County’s stay-at-home order will expire at 12:01 p.m. on Saturday, April 25. Missouri’s stay-at-home order will expire on May 3.