By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostRestrictions
put in place over coronavirus concerns will get tighter for St Joseph
residents, beginning after midnight Monday.The
city of St. Joseph has issued a shelter in place order, effective at 12:01am
Tuesday until 11:59pm Thursday, April 2nd.The
amended declaration of a local state of emergency strongly encourages St.
Joseph residents to remain in their homes and avoid contact with anyone outside
their residence except to buy food and supplies and to seek medical treatment.Non-essential
businesses will not be allowed to operate. Essential businesses must make
reasonable efforts to require employees to remain separated by at least six
feet. The definition of essential businesses is below. Residents can travel
only to attend work at an essential business or to buy food (including from
restaurants, medicine, supplies, or pet supplies. Residents can travel for outdoor
recreational activities. People should make reasonable efforts to be separated
by at least six feet when they go out.No service
business which require personal contact will be allowed to operate, except for
those which provide necessary medical treatment ordered by a physician. Such
services include, but are not limited to hair salon services, nail salon
services, tattooing, and massage services.Existing
restrictions of the initial emergency declaration remain in place.The city
call center will be open on Sunday from 10am until 7pm to answer the public’s
questions. The call center number is 816-271-4613.An amended emergency declaration has been issued by St. Joseph city officials:REISSUED SECOND AMENDED DECLARATION AND ORDER(March 23, 2020)FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENOTE: For simplicity, this release is being re-issued in its entirety with the changes reflected within in red. The changes are clarification to several updates and/or additions to Section 4 of the Second Amended Declaration and Order originally issued March 21.Effective at 12:01am on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, and continuing until 11:59pm on Thursday, April 2, 2020, unless otherwise amended, withdrawn, or terminated, an amended declaration of a local state of emergency will enforce the following:• That, to the maximum extent possible, citizens of the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, are strongly encouraged to shelter in place, by remaining in their respective residences, avoiding contact with people with whom they do not reside, and avoiding public places except when necessary to obtain food, supplies, and medical treatment.• Businesses which are non-essential shall be prohibited from operating. Non-essential business are those that do not fall under the definition of essential as indicated below.• Essential businesses, as defined below, shall make reasonable efforts to require people to remain separated by physical space of at least six feet.• Travel may occur only for the purpose of attending work at an essential business, obtaining necessary food (including from restaurants, medicine, supplies, or pet supplies. Travel in the course of participating in outdoor recreational activities may also occur.• When in public, or when participating in outdoor recreational activities, people shall make reasonable efforts to be separated by physical space of at least six feet.• No business or person shall provide services that require contact between a person providing the service and the customer unless the service is for necessary medical treatment that has been ordered by a physician. Such services that shall not be provided include, but are not limited to, hair salon services, nail salon services, tattooing, and massage services.Existing restrictions of the Declaration and Order remain effective.Due to the changes being implemented, the city’s call center will be open Sunday, March 22, from 10am-7pm to answer any questions the public may have. The call center number is 816-271-4613.Essential BusinessesFor the purposes of this Second Amended Declaration and Order, the term “Essential Businesses” shall mean businesses or organizations which are providing any of the following as a substantial element of their daily operations:1. Healthcare and public health services and supply distribution (for human or animal care);2. Law enforcement, public safety, first responder, emergency dispatch, and security;3. Agriculture and food creation, transportation, distribution, and retail sales (for human or animal consumption);4. Restaurant and prepared food distribution (for allowed distribution methods);5. Energy, electricity, petroleum, natural gas and propane acquisition, extractions, production, generation, processing, storage, distribution, and retail distribution;6. Water and wastewater processing, treatment, conveyance, and distribution;7. Logistics and transportation of goods and people, repair of transportation systems and infrastructure, transportation dispatch, packaging material manufacturing, shipping, air and rail transportation, and support services;8. Public infrastructure support and maintenance;9. Communications infrastructure support and maintenance;10. Information technology development, management, support, and security;11. Education (including childcare) and governmental operations;12. Critical community assistance and preparedness services;13. Manufacturing of necessary consumables and their components;14. Chemical and hazardous materials handling and cleanup;15. Critical financial services;16. Military operations;17. Home repair of critical utilities and facilities, including buildings; (Home is removed and including buildings added.)18. Construction and related activities; (Item added)19. Services related to real estate transactions, including title searches, appraisals, permitting, inspections, moving, and recordation, legal, financial and other necessary services; and (Item added)20. Services related to funerals and end-of-life care, including burials, religious services, and floral services for funeral; (Item added)21. Cleaning involving sanitizing; (Item added)22. Grass, weed, and vegetation removal (excluding other lawn and landscaping services;(Item added)23. Support for the foregoing services; and24. Functions that the Director of Health deems, in writing, to be essential services.Notwithstanding
the aforementioned designated services, the list of Essential Businesses may be
modified by a subsequent declaration and order.For more on the emergency declaration, click <a href="https://www.stjoemo.info/civicalerts.aspx?AID=945">here</a>.

St. Joseph issues shelter in place order