Parson seeks to clarify comments on school kids, virus

Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday sought to clarify recent remarks on school children and the coronavirus that have drawn backlash.

On a radio show last week, Parson said kids would get COVID-19 when they return to school but that "they're going to get over it" and not go to hospitals.

Speaking with reporters yesterday, Parson said his comments on the radio show “were not articulated very well.”

“What I was trying to say is that there is a very real possibility that there could be COVID in our schools, and we want to be prepared for that,” Parson said, noting anyone who has used his comments politically to say he doesn't care about children “is one sick individual.”

Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat who's running against Parson in the gubernatorial election this year, said following the radio interview that Parson showed "stunning ignorance" with his comments.

Read more from The Associated Press.