Updates for March 27: One death in Harrison County, 94 new coronavirus cases in Mississippi
5:30 p.m.
▪ Edgewater Mall has announced it will close at the end of the day Sunday, but Dillard’s will remain open. Chick-fil-A will operate a drive-thru in the west parking lot form 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
▪ Gautier city council held a meeting today and has joined the rest of the Coast by ordering restaurant dining rooms closed, along with “gyms, salons, nail salons, barbershops and indoor entertainment venues.” Violations are punishable as allowed by Mississippi law, including a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to six months, or both.
The council’s vote was split 4-3. Voting against the order were Councilmen Richard Jackson, Casey Vaughan and Adam Colledge.
“There is some apathy out there for the severity of this virus,” City Manager Paula Yancey said in a press release. “We’ve gotten a lot of calls at City Hall, and I really feel like the longer we keep playing around with this, the worse it is going to get.”
▪ The State Medical Association and State Department of Health are advising Mississippians who have been tested for COVID-19 to self-quarantine until they receive test results. “A decision to test is a decision to isolate until test results come back,” said state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.
▪ Jackson County School District will not serve grab-and-go meals April 6-10, which is its regularly scheduled spring break.
4 p.m.
Starting Saturday, Coast Transit will limit all trips on its fixed route buses to those for health, nutrition and work. CTA will have security on the buses enforcing passenger codes of conduct, restrictions on purpose of trip and social distancing.
Passengers are required to stay 6 feet away from the driver and each other and unless they are traveling together.
2:25 p.m.
Gulfport Behavioral Health System has opened a 24-hour Stress and Anxiety Hotline that will operate continuously through the coronavirus pandemic.
It is designed to assist the community with tips, tricks, techniques and resources to help alleviate the stress and anxiety generated from the pandemic. Call 228-236-2236 to speak to a social worker or therapist.
2:10 p.m.
The deadline for getting a REAL ID driver’s license is extended a year due to the coronavirus. The new deadline is Oct. 1, 2021.
That is when everyone age 18 and older will need a Real ID driver’s license or other acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States and to get onto a military base. A REAL ID-compliant card has a star at the top of the card.
12:26 p.m.
Papa John’s pizza franchise-owned restaurants in Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, Ocean Springs and D’Iberville are hiring for positions in carry-out and no contact delivery. People can interview and start work the same day. Go online to jobs.papajohns.com or text JOBS to 47272.
12:02 p.m.
If there is any good news in today’s report from the Center for Disease Control, it is that the number of additional deaths from the coronavirus dropped to 252 compared to 257 reported deaths on Thursday.
Deaths from the virus stand at 1,246, up from 994 on Thursday.
Total cases across the U.S. are 85,356. Two weeks ago on March 13 there were 1,629 cases in the United States.
11:40 a.m.
Winn-Dixie stores are taking steps to protect customers and staff during the coronavirus pandemic. Protective Plexiglas partitions are being installed in all stores at registers, customer service desks, pharmacies and liquor store counters.
The company also will enforce social distancing protocols, using markings on the floors to help maintain two-cart distance between customers at checkout and with stricter store occupancy regulations. From 7-8 a.m. is the special shopping hour for seniors and high-risk customers at all Mississippi stores, which are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
10:50 a.m.
A larger number of people who test positive for the coronavirus are being hospitalized, according to data from the state Health Department.
Through March 20, the department says 24% of those who had the virus were hospitalized. By March 23 that increased to 27% and on March 24 it rose again to 31%.
Initially a much larger percentage of the cases were in women. But that is narrowing, from 66% women and 34% men on March 20 to 59% women and 41% men on March 24.
The largest group hospitalized are age 60-69. But coronavirus isn’t strictly infecting older people. The latest report shows that 6 cases in the state are those under 18 years old and 55 cases are age 18-29.
DeSoto County in North Mississippi has the most cases at 63, followed by 50 in Hinds County and 34 in Harrison County.
10:06 a.m.
Harrison County has seen its first death from coronavirus, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported this morning.
Today was the first time the health department included the deaths in the daily report rather than in a separate news release. A second death was reported in Tippah County.
The report said there are 94 new cases across the state, including 16 in South Mississippi.
The total now stands at 579 cases in Mississippi with 8 deaths.
In the 6 Coast counties, the count is 86 cases with 2 deaths.
On Friday there are 8 new cases in Jackson County, 3 new cases each in Harrison and Hancock counties, and 2 new cases in Pearl River County.
The total in the 6 lower counties are:
- George County — 1
- Hancock County — 9
- Harrison County — 34
- Jackson County — 24
- Pearl River County — 18
- Stone County — 0
8 a.m.
Ingalls Shipbuilding announced on its website Thursday 2 more confirmed cases of coronavirus.
One of the cases is a pipefitter who works on NSC 9, the company said. The other is a hull foreman in the CSA area. Neither person has been on company property since March 20 and both are under quarantine, the company said.
“Fortunately, these individuals self-reported, allowing for prompt notifications and environmental disinfecting,” the press release said.
“All shipbuilders who work near these individuals, or those who we can identify as possibly having close contact with these individuals, have been contacted,” the company said, and environmental deep-cleaning is underway in their primary work spaces.
Ingalls Shipbuilding previously announced 2 cases of coronavirus. The company now will announce new cases once a day, including Saturdays and Sundays.
Highlights from Thursday:
▪ Mississippi has 108 new cases of COVID-19 today, the state health department just reported, with 14 new cases on the Coast. The Coast now has 70 cases and the state has 485.
▪ The sixth coronavirus death reported was in Rankin County. The others were from Hancock, Holmes, Tunica, Webster and Wilkinson counties.
▪ Mississippi Department of Education has suspended certain requirements so that seniors can graduate despite the coronavirus school closures.
▪ The Air Force has announced it will test Biloxi’s Keesler Air Force Base as an alternate site for basic training during the pandemic.
▪ The Mississippi Legislature will delay reconvening the Legislative session beyond Wednesday, April 1. A new date has not yet been set.
▪ Harrison County School District is offering certified social workers to be available by phone for families in the district that are struggling with anxiety or stress.
▪ Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson encourages the public to consider local farmers as a source of produce, meats, dairy, honey, eggs and other food products. GenuineMS.com as an online source to locate farmers that sell direct to the public.
▪ Memorial Hospital at Gulfport is seeking donations for health care workers. Needed are N-95 medical grade surgical masks, disposable latex gloves, hand sanitizer, safety goggles or glasses, full face shields and gowns. Those who can help are asked to call 228-223-0922 or email foundation@mhg.com.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 10:29 AM.