bransonglobe.com STATE Special to Branson Globe O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Large events are slowly starting up again in Missouri — a state more willing than most to permit sports, concerts and shows following the economic shutdown aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus — even as some experts wonder if it’s too soon. A youth baseball tournament near St. Louis Mother’s Day weekend generated national attention. Musical shows that help draw tourists to Branson are resuming. Concerts are allowed, though they remain on hold. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s “Show Me Strong” plan allowed nonessential businesses to reopen May 4. The plan does require people to keep their distance from each other, but it includes no prohibition on largescale sports and entertainment. Epidemiologists are concerned because studies suggest people can be infected with the virus — and spread it to others — without feeling sick. May 16, about 50 teams with an estimated 550 players participated in a youth baseball tournament in St. Charles County, a St. Louis suburb that has seen 679 confirmed cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. While organizers offered a long list of rules that included limits on kids in the dugout and no high-fives, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported instances where groups of boys congregated together or coaches and players leaned together to talk. The tournament was allowed under both Parson’s plan and St. Charles County’s guidelines, county spokeswoman Mary Enger said. It would not be allowed in neighboring St. Louis County or the city of St. Louis. Both have stricter guidelines because more than half of Missouri’s 10,317 confirmed cases, and about two-thirds of the state’s 562 deaths, have occurred there. Alexis Duncan, an epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis, said the return to some form of normalcy should start with low-risk activities involving small gatherings. She believes it’s too early for larger events. “Especially sporting events where people are doing a lot of yelling, where they’re exhaling more,” Duncan said. “The more talking and yelling that people do, the more potential there is that they’re expelling the virus particles.” In Branson, dozens of shows and attractions are scheduled to reopen this weekend and next. The Duttons, featuring a famiSEE SPORTS & SHOWS, PAGE 11 May 24-26, 2020 • 9 Sports and shows are slowly reopening in Missouri The Duttons, on Branson’s Hwy. 76 Strip, reopened their show on May 16. (Special to Branson Globe)
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