A statewide order is needed to protect Missouri lives

It’s time for Gov. Mike Parson to issue a statewide order for Missourians to stay home.

We are one of only 12 states as of press time Thursday evening to not have either a shelter in place or a stay at home order. Although states have used different wording, the overall goal is the same — to keep people home except for necessities, which can include using outside areas while maintaining social distancing.

The longer the governor waits to do this, the worse the coronavirus pandemic will be for our state.

Gov. Parson said in his Thursday news conference his administration is considering such an order, and he hopes to have an announcement soon. He said such an announcement could come as early as Friday.

We applaud him for sharing that information, and encourage him to act on it quickly.

We need to do EVERYTHING we can now to slow the spread and flatten the curve. If we don’t, our hospitals will be overwhelmed like in New York City. If the governor waits, it will be too late. In all honesty, it may already be too late.

Doctors, nurses and all medical personnel are the heroes during this pandemic. They are the frontline warriors putting their own lives on the line to help the coronavirus victims.

Our elected officials often use wartime to sing the praises of our soldiers in harm’s way. That is exactly what they should do. They also do everything within their power to prepare the soldiers for battle.

Can our elected and appointed city, county, and state leaders say the same concerning the coronavirus and our medical personnel? Caring for the patients after they are infected isn’t the only solution. Keeping it from spreading is just as important.

The Butler County Health Department reported Thursday there are 1,834 cases in Missouri, with 19 deaths. There have been 19,430 patients tested in Missouri by all labs. As of March 16, the state had six positive cases, zero deaths and 170 total patients tested.

On March 18, the governor visited Poplar Bluff and said he hoped to be doing 7,000-10,000 tests a day by the beginning of April.

We do not seem to have met that goal and the number of positive patients continues to grow.

We know the state is working hard to increase it’s testing capacity, but the fact that we haven’t yet is another problem that puts us at a disadvantage.

A statewide shelter in place order is something that we can control, as testing problems and medical equipment shortages continue to plague not only Missouri, but the nation.

The Missouri State Medical Association wrote a letter to Gov. Parson last month. It was dated March 23. Over a week ago, they understood the importance of keeping people at home as much as possible.

But Gov. Parson has yet to act on a stay-at-home order.

The Daily American Republic received a copy of the letter from the MSMA, and it reads:

“Governor Parson:

“On behalf of the physicians and surgeons practicing in Missouri, the Missouri State Medical Association requests the enactment of a ‘shelter-in-place’ requirement by executive order.

“We appreciate the previous actions you have taken regarding this crisis, and understand the interwoven policy issues at play during this critical time. However, we now believe that a statewide ‘shelter-in-place’ order is the only way to curb the exponential spread of COVID-19 in Missouri.

“If things progress as is, COVID-19 will deplete the state’s available hospital beds, ventilators, and precious personal protection equipment. Any additional time without a ‘shelter-in-place’ requirement wastes crucial health care resources, including manpower.

“As physicians, we understand our role as the first line of defense against this virus. We accept the likelihood that a number of physicians will contract COVID-19 while treating the citizens of Missouri. Despite that known fact, we are prepared to carry out our responsibilities for as long as needed.

“We ask for your assistance as we begin this difficult journey.

“Regards,

“James A. DiRenna, DO, FAAFP

“President.”

Dr. DiRenna is from Kansas City.

We understand the financial ramifications a stay-at-home order would have on some local businesses. The last thing the governor, the DAR or any citizen wants is to hurt a local business. They are the lifeblood of our community and we should do everything possible to support them — in good and bad times.

But if people continue to walk around as if life hasn’t changed, our local businesses will be hurt more in the long run. The coronavirus will be around longer, thus keeping businesses closed — or altered to some degree — much longer than anticipated.

Gov. Parson has made many trips to Poplar Bluff and Southeast Missouri since taking office. We believe him to be someone who truly cares about the health and well-being of all Missourians and he can prove that again by signing a shelter-in-place order.

On March 18, he also told us, “… at the end of the day, someone is going to have to take personal responsibility … to make sure they are not spreading the virus, making sure they are not infecting other people.

“That comes down to all of us having that personal responsibility.”

That’s true of our governor as well.

Leaving it up to the thousands of Missouri communities to make this decision alone, never having faced something this great, is not what we need right now.

— Daily American Republic