Missouri Governor Mike Parson (right) announced the “end of the COVID-19 crisis” in his state on Wednesday.

Pastor says that from fridayMissouri would begin treating the coronavirus as endemic.

“The COVID-19 crisis is over in the State of Missouri, and we are moving forward,” Parson said in a statement announcing the change.

“Over the past two years, we have learned a lot that will help us respond to future outbreaks and challenges that may come our way.“ the governor also said. “We don’t know if this virus will go away completely, but we do know that living in crisis mode is no longer necessary and that we can shift our response to meet the needs of Missourians today.”

Paula Nickelson, acting director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, added that “Missourians need to be confident that we will remain vigilant as we monitor levels of COVID-19 statewide.”

Missouri has reported 1,068 coronavirus cases in the past seven days with an average of 153 cases per day. The state has recorded three COVID-19-related deaths in the past week, according to state health department data.

After a rapid increase in COVID-19 infections fueled by the omicron variant, several states have begun to transition to less frequent case reporting after dropping some pandemic-related requirements such as masking.

Other states, including California, have already begun to shift to treating the virus as an endemic disease.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) said the state will continue to fight misinformation and misinformation about the virus.