This petition is to advocate a mandatory face mask policy in the State of Missouri. We need Governor Mike Parson to take action NOW. By signing, you call on the Governor to make masks mandatory in public throughout the whole state.

In the past 2 weeks, we have seen that COVID-19 cases are growing exponentially throughout Missouri. Emergency rooms, hospitals, and ICU beds are being filled over capacity when they have to take care of many different types of severely ill patients on top of sick COVID patients. Missouri now ranks as the 10th national hotspot of new weekly cases and deaths, maintaining a test positivity rate of 44%. Many of us feel that there is an urgency to upgrade the current policy to a statewide mandatory mask requirement as soon as possible.

Many scientific studies find that face masks decrease the risk of COVID-19 transmission by at least 5 times and significantly reduces the severity of COVID-19 infection. That is why thirty-three state governments currently require people to wear face coverings in public. Most of these states were able to control the pandemic much better. If everyone in our state can wear a mask and maintain social distancing, we can save thousands of lives and millions of dollars of medical costs. Furthermore, reducing COVID-19 transmission can help to avoid lockdown and support economic recovery.

COVID-19 poses the greatest threat to seniors, and Missouri has one of the highest oldest populations in the US, with 17.3% of people over 65 years old. Many of the hotspots in Missouri are located in rural areas where resources are not as easily accessible. Simply wearing a mask will undoubtedly ease the burden on healthcare systems. Otherwise, when our hospitals are exhausted, COVID-19 fatality rates will increase significantly which could potentially threaten our economy due to possible future lockdowns.

Therefore, we strongly advocate a mandatory face masking policy in the State of Missouri.