KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson sat down with 41 Action News Anchor Dia Wall on Thursday during a visit to Kansas City to discuss schools reopening; social justice, crime and policing; the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and the state’s economy.
Missouri wasn’t immune to skyrocketing unemployment during the first three months of the pandemic, which forced Parson to withhold large portions of the state budget amid revenue declines.
Here is an excerpt of Wall’s interview centered on the economic recovery amid the ongoing pandemic after hemet with KC-area school leaders on Thursday:
Dia Wall: How do you balance getting the economy thriving again with keeping people healthy and safe?
Gov. Mike Parson: "That virus is out there. Just trying to figure out how to deal with it. I can't promise anybody that something bad can't happen when school starts back up nor can any other business in the state."
Wall: What has the economic impact so far been?
Parson: "Unfortunately, with COVID-19 we've never seen anything like this where we just basically shut a spicket off and the economy just dropped. There's no easy answer to the financial side of it. I mean, the state's hurting. We had 440,000 people out of jobs, more than we've ever seen in our state's history. You know revenues dropped."
Wall: If you could talk directly to people across the state, what would you tell them?
Parson: "Those 20- and 30-year-old brackets need to hear from all fronts — whether it's the governor, the local levels, whether it's an educator, whether it's the grandparents — you're putting people at risk by doing what you're doing right now. Every one of us wakes up with concern. There's no way around that."
—
The Rebound Kansas City is our effort is to help metro residents play a role in moving our community forward. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas to via email to rebound@kshb.com and we welcome you to join in the conversation on the Rebound KC Facebook Group.
Whether you're Getting Back to Work after a layoff, need help Making Ends Meet during these trying times or need tips on Managing the Pressure we're all feeling, The Rebound has resources to find help. We'll also make sure local leaders are Doing What's Right to get Kansas City back track after a three-month shutdown.
Need a job? Be sure to visit our local jobs board powered by Indeed.