By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Mayor Bill McMurray is glad the city hasn’t seen a spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations since the city lifted its mask mandate.
The city council voted 5-4 on March 22nd to end the mandate. It needed six votes to overturn the mayor’s emergency order, but McMurray says he had promised to follow the council’s will and end the order prior to its April 15th expiration date if the council voted to do so.
“Then with the decline in the number of cases and in the number of hospitalizations, several on the council felt that we should terminate the order sooner,” McMurray tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “So we did. It was a 5-to-4 vote. So, I followed the council’s wishes and signed the termination order.”
McMurray says he is glad to see all of the COVID-19 numbers locally, with the exception of one.
New coronavirus cases and deaths are down, dramatically. Hospitalizations are down.
Still, McMurray worries about the trend of the pandemic in the area.
“We do find ourselves in the midst of an increase around the country and so I hope that it doesn’t happen here,” McMurray says. “I hope we have maybe, I think the last time I looked, over the last several days we had, like, maybe eight more cases and we only have two people in the hospital. So, I mean, that’s good.”
St. Joseph health officials reported seven new cases of the coronavirus on the 1st, bringing the Buchanan County total since the pandemic began to 10,253. Buchanan County has recorded a total of 179 coronavirus-related deaths.
Mosaic Life Care reports only two patients in its system; both being treated in St. Joseph.
The number that disappoints McMurray is the number of Buchanan County residents who have received their COVID-19 vaccinations. He points out the 14% county vaccination rate lags behind the state rate of 24%.
McMurray says masks may no longer be required by city ordinance, but they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“I think we’re going to have masks with us for maybe a longer period of time and as to when this thing ends, I don’t know if it will ever end,” McMurray says. “I mean the virus will probably hang around for a long time in some variation.”
McMurray points out even though the city ended its mask requirement, businesses and agencies can still require patrons wear masks.