ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis officials are handing out at least 75,000 masks as the region prepares to relax stay-at-home orders.
Over the past two days, city officials say they've handed out 42,000 masks to more than 30 senior living facilities, including nursing homes, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Each employee and resident of the senior centers will receive five masks, Mayor Lyda Krewson said during a briefing Friday.
The city also has distributed 15,000 masks to the city Housing Authority for its residents, and 18,000 to the city's Human Services Department, which is giving them to the people it serves. That includes recipients of its home-delivered meal program for the elderly.
Meanwhile, Missouri saw 219 new coronavirus cases Saturday, bringing the state's total to 10,675, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. It marks the first time in seven days that there was an increase of at least 200 new cases.
The state also reported 13 new deaths from COVID-19, raising the total to 589.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up after two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.