St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The Democrat joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann and Jason Rosenbaum to talk about how St. Louis is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
The topics include Krewson’s decision to issue a stay-at-home order — and what impact that’s having on containing the virus.
Here’s what the mayor talked about on the show:
- Krewson discussed how the COVID-19 outbreak will affect St. Louis’ financial situation. She also talked about how the city could get access to money from the federal CARES Act.
- She discussed whether there’s been a cohesive working relationship with St. Louis County, as well as the other suburban counties, during the crisis.
- St. Louis County decided to close its parks last week. Krewson explained why the city hasn’t followed suit, but she did point to how playgrounds and sports courts have been shut down to avoid coronavirus contamination.
- Many local officials, like Krewson, had been calling on Gov. Mike Parson to issue a stay-at-home order. Krewson issued hers on March 21; Parson issued one on Friday. And Krewson, who grew up in Moberly, discussed whether such a move can be effectively enforced in rural parts of the state.
- Krewson talked about how the city is releasing information about people who have COVID-19 in the city, including the decision not to disclose place of employment.
As of Sunday, there have been 358 cases of COVID-19 in the city and eight deaths. The most cases have been in the 63115 ZIP code in north St. Louis, which is a predominantly African American part of the city.
Follow Rachel Lippmann on Twitter: @rlippmann
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Lyda Krewson on Twitter: @LydaKrewson
Music: "Lost in the Supermarket" by the Clash
