JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Governor Mike Parson postponed his international trip to Israel and Greece just days before he and the first lady were scheduled to leave.
Parson announced Monday that efforts are underway to reschedule the trip after new travel restrictions were implemented because of the new COVID-19 omicron variant.
“We are postponing our trade mission because we want to respect the travel policies and practices enacted by the host countries,” Parson said. “While we are disappointed that we have to postpone, delaying our trade mission is necessary and the best course of action to ensure the health and safety of our state leaders, private partners, and staff who were planning to join us. We look forward to traveling to Israel and Greece soon.”
The governor’s office said details of the trip will be released once it is rescheduled.
The Parsons were scheduled to leave Thursday, Dec. 2, and return to Missouri on Dec. 11.
While in Israel and Greece, Parson planned to deliver a keynote speech at the Greek Economic Summit, and join in an ag-tech roundtable discussion, receive economic briefings, and attend meetings with the Ministry of Defense and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
The Trade Mission was funded by The Hawthorn Foundation, according to the governor’s office.
Parson now plans to spend his week attending various holiday events in Kansas City and Jefferson City.