ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

Updated at 5:45 p.m.: St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell says his office will deal with violations of the health order on a “case by case� basis and "will not tolerate irresponsible behavior" that risks people’s health.

CLAYTON — St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Friday announced severe restrictions on most activities as the county tries to knock down surging rates of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.

“We can’t possibly responsibly wait any longer to take the steps that are needed to get the spread of this virus in check in our community,� Page said.

As it has before, the county is moving ahead unilaterally with restrictions. On Thursday night, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced the city’s only response: limiting private gatherings of more than 10 people.

For four weeks starting at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, people in St. Louis County will only be able to leave home to go to work or school, to exercise, seek medical care or shop for goods or supplies, Page said. They must also form social bubbles with 10 or fewer family members or friends and limit all interactions to that group — and can leave home for those interactions.

Page called it a “safer at home� order.

“I wish this wasn’t where we had to go, but it is. The virus continues to rage across our country and across our community, the national masking order early on would have helped us a great deal,� he said. “Even a national strategy on COVID-19 would have helped us a great deal. But this is where we are today.�

And he said it could have been avoided if there had been a national masking mandate or a national strategy for controlling the virus.

Bars and restaurants will be closed to inside patrons, although outside dining will be open and customers will be able to take home prepared food and cocktails.

“Restaurants and bars are struggling,� he said. “So please support them. ... These are the folks that are hustling to make sure that you have to-go meals that you can enjoy in your home. They have bills to pay as well.�

Workers can go to the office, but they will be strongly advised to work at home.

Businesses, including gyms, and places of worship, will be reduced to 25% of their occupancy limits, from 50%. Gym patrons and people attending houses of worship will be required to wear masks when they are working out or attending services. Nail and hair salons and barbers may operate at 25% occupancy, with employees and customers masked. The maximum gathering of any kind will be reduced to 10, from 49.

Youth sports that are part of schools will be allowed to continue as they have under current guidelines. Club sports teams will be required to submit plans to the health department to show how they plan to mitigate virus transmission. Page said all participants in organized sports must wear masks unless they are actively playing in a game.

Also, face coverings must be worn by everyone older than 5 when they leave the house. There are exceptions for students with medical conditions or who are in physical education or music class, he said. And while pupils 3 to 5 years old aren’t required to wear masks, they are encouraged to, he said.

As for violators, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said his office would “deal with any credible allegations of wrongdoing on a case-by-case basis, and, as always, we would rather prevent crime than prosecute it.� Bell said that while his staff placed a higher priority on “many more destructive crimes than violations of these reasonable public health orders, we will not tolerate irresponsible behavior that puts our seniors, those with underlying health issues, or any of our residents in harm’s way.�

With so many active cases, the county health department will no longer be able to contact every person who tests positive. That means people must do that on their own. Anyone who tests positive must isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms. Anyone who has been exposed to a positive person must quarantine for 14 days from the time of contact.

Contact means anyone who has been within six feet of a positive person, even when masks were worn, for more than 15 minutes total during a 24-hour period.

Krewson tweeted that the city’s response was consistent with what the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force and other public health officials had recommended and that a “full stay-at-home order and extra restrictions on restaurants/bars aren’t recommended at this time.�

Page acknowledged that the city “has a few less cases than St. Louis County does right now. And I suspect that they have a little better masking compliance than we do right now and they’re in a little better spot. But we’ll continue to follow the guidance of our public health officials here in St. Louis County. I will follow the guidance of our public health department very closely, and I will follow the guidance of our medical community.

“And if you want to know what the pandemic taskforce believes or thinks, then you should ask them directly."