State of emergency extended as virus hits Missouri hospitals

(AP) Gov. Mike Parson says Missouri’s hospitals are struggling to cope with rising coronavirus cases. The Republican governor said Thursday that he’s extending the state of emergency in Missouri through March. He says hospitals face staffing shortages and that the state is considering sending in the military and asking for help from medical workers in other states. He will also be issuing new COVID-19 guidance to local governments, “a public health warning for the entire state of Missouri. He says it will stress the importance of wearing a mask. The Missouri Hospital Association wants a statewide mask mandate but Parson has repeatedly refused to issue one. He has instead emphasized local and personal responsibility and urged Missourians to do their part by also social distancing, and washing their hands.