Live updates March 31: 4 new coronavirus deaths in Mississippi, new Coast cases
6 p.m.
U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo sent a letter to the director of Federal Emergency Management Agency to share his concerns over whether South Mississippi would have adequate medical supplies to fight coronavirus despite being so close to New Orleans. As of Tuesday, over 5,000 cases of coronavirus had been reported in Louisiana, with over 3,000 people diagnosed with the virus in the Crescent City.
5 p.m.
The state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks closed all offices to the public.
All state parks and lakes remain open for fishing only from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, but all bath houses and camping areas are closed to the public. All shooting facilities, including one in the McHenry community in Stone County, remain open, though all tournaments are canceled.
4 p.m.
Gulf Coast music festival Hangout Fest canceled it’s May 15-17 date. Hangout’s official account shared Tuesday that the city of Gulf Shores, Ala., gave organizers a notice that it would not proceed on its original date.
The festival said it will be offering refunds and will “explore all options” to reschedule.
2:37 p.m.
After Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes today ordered a curfew that begins tonight at 11:59, Biloxi, D’Iberville and Long Beach adopted the tsimilar plans. Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich ordered a curfew that goes into effect Thursday at 11 p.m.
The curfew is from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and applies to all but medical workers and emergency responders.
12:30 p.m.
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula announced 2 more employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total to 10.
The new cases are an employee at CSA 3, whose last day in the yard was March 21, and an employee in the office trailer, who was at the shipyard yesterday.
All 10 cases are in the West Bank production area.
12:05 p.m.
The nation saw it’s biggest 1-day increase in coronavirus cases to date, with 22,635 new cases and 455 more deaths, according to today’s report from the Center for Disease Control.
Today’s total across the U.S. are 163,359, with 2,860 deaths.
Mississippi has 937 cases, or 0.6% of the national total.
The rate of increase in the U.S. has dropped this week. falling from 21% or more new cases each day last week to 19% on Sunday, 15% Monday and 16% Tuesday.
11:55 a.m.
Walmart announced today it will begin taking temperatures of employees as they report to work and other health measures, including a coronavirus website.
Walmart stores are essential businesses under state and federal guidelines. The company is sending digital thermometers to all stores and distribution centers along with masks and gloves for employees who want to use them.
10:35 a.m.
Gov. Tate Reeves signs Executive Order 1465 that orders a “shelter in place” in Lauderdale County. Meridian is the county’s largest city in the county in east Mississippi.
This is the first location in the state, “But I do not anticipate it’s going to be the last,” Reeves said.
The order begins at 10 p.m. tonight and continues until 11:59 p.m. on April 14, and directs all non-essential businesses to close. It allows for essential travel to work and for medical care and supplies for your home, Reeves said.
It also allows local municipal authorities to issue a curfew and enforcement by all state, county and local law enforcement in and around Lauderdale County.
Asked about a tweet claiming people from Lauderdale County would just go elsewhere for the next two weeks, Reeves said, “I do not believe we are going to see a large number of people from Lauderdale County go up to Kemper County to go shopping,”
Reeves said Mississippians are “smart enough, patriotic enough” to pay attention to what state officials are saying.
10 a.m.
The numbers of people with coronavirus continue to climb, with 90 new cases in Mississippi and 6 new cases on the Coast.
Today’s report from the Mississippi Department of Health shows 4 new deaths in Bolivar, Lafayette, Montgomery and Panola counties.
Deaths now total 20 in Mississippi, and 2 on the Coast. Three of the deaths are people under the age of 50.
Total cases are 937 statewide and 134 in South Mississippi.
New cases today across the Coast are 3 in Pearl River County and one each in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.
The totals on the Coast are:
George County — 3
Hancock County — 16
Harrison County — 45
Jackson County — 40
Pearl River County —30
Stone County — 0
9 a.m.
Singing River Health Systems reported Monday it has performed 625 COVID-19 tests to date with 54 positive cases. Of the 13 new positives, 12 are outpatient and 1 was hospitalized, the report said.
7:30 a.m.
The original goal was to reopen Pearl River Resort casinos on April 1, but the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians announced today they will remain closed until further notice.
7 a.m.
Winn-Dixie stores will stay open and extra hour from 8 to 9 p.m. every Monday and Tuesday to allow first responders and healthcare providers time to stock up on fresh food and essential items. Customers are asked to be respectful of this time devoted to the frontl ine warriors.
Highlights from Monday
▪ Keesler Air Force Base will receive first basic training recruits no earlier than April 7. The Air Force announced last week that Keesler was named an alternate site for basic training during the coronavirus pandemic.
▪ Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula announced Monday its eighth employee at LBTF that has tested positive for coronavirus. The employee’s last day in the yard was March 20.
▪ Emergency food assistance is available to families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Those who receive SNAP benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will get additional benefits for March and April.
▪ The cases of coronavirus across Mississippi increased by 89, according to Monday’s report from the Mississippi State Department of Health, with 2 new deaths. The Coast has 128 cases and two deaths.
▪ Hancock County reiterated that its beaches are limited to gatherings of 10 people or less.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 10:16 AM.