The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life around the world. Here in the US, states and cities have imposed varying levels of restrictions on daily life. That includes national retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes limiting the number of customers that can enter their stores at any one time and restricting their hours of operation. On Friday, April 3 Joplin Mayor Gary Shaw signed a Stay At Home order for the cities 50,000+ residents. Initially, Joplin’s Stay At Home order was to remain in effect until April 24 but was extended to coincide with Missouri statewide Stay at Home Order which will remain in effect until Sunday May 3, 2020 at 11:59 pm.

Earlier this month KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro spoke with Mayor of Joplin Gary Shaw who says that he received as many Joplin residents who wanted a Stay At Home put into effect as those who opposed the measure.

According to Shaw, city officials in Joplin decided to go ahead on Friday April, 3 and implement a Stay At Home order the following Monday, which was the same day Missouri Governor Mike Parson would put into effect a statewide Stay At Home order. Shaw indicates that while most of Joplin’s residents were abiding by the CDC’s social distancing guidelines it wasn’t enough to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

As the state of Missouri and Joplin enter its third week of a Stay At Home order Shaw encourages residents to get out and enjoy the nice weather. But when you go out to the store or a location that could be crowded to maintain social distancing, wash your hands regularly and wear a mask if you have one. He believes that if people follow the guidelines that are provided by the CDC and the State of Missouri that it lessens the impact on the region’s economy and minimize the likelihood that the stay at home order will have to be extended past Sunday May 3, 2020.