Live updates April 2: New death on the Coast, over 100 more coronavirus cases statewide

4 p.m.

The Mississippi State Health Department has announced a drive-thru testing site from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pearl River County Health Department in Carriere.

Testing is free but prior screening for symptoms is required. Make an appointment by downloading and using the C Spire Health app. If you do not have a smart phone, call 601-496-7200.

12:40 p.m.

Gov. Tate Reeves ordered that four cruise ships docking at the state Port of Gulfport leave by Friday. Three of the four ships, the Carnival Valor, Carnival Freedom and Majesty of the Seas from Royal Caribbean, arrived in mid-March.

Jonathan Daniels, the port’s executive director, said the port supports the decision based on direction from the governor and health professionals.

Noon

The Center for Disease Control reports 27,043 new cases of coronavirus across the United States today and 910 additional deaths.

On Wednesday, there were 22,562 new cases and 743 new deaths.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, 213,144 people in the U.S. have tested positive for the virus and 4,513 have died.

10:15 a.m.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported a total of 1,177 cases in the state Thursday, with another 15 reported in South Mississippi.

Jackson County saw the biggest increase, with 5 new cases and one new death, and at 57 cases has the most cases reported in South Mississippi.

There were 4 new case in Harrison County, 2 new cases in Hancock County and 4 additional cases in Pearl River County.

The state Health Department reported 4 new deaths in the state today, pushing the total to 26 deaths. The four new deaths are in Chickasaw, Jackson, Marshall and Monroe counties.

The agency also is for the first time reporting cases in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, which have high-risk residents.

“Even one case of COVID-19 in these facilities among residents or employees is considered an outbreak,” the health department says on its website.

There is one case each in care facilities in Jackson and Harrison counties, and two cases in Hancock County. There are 22 cases in facilities statewide.

The totals on the Coast are:

• George County — 4
• Hancock County — 22
• Harrison County — 53
• Jackson County — 57
• Pearl River County — 36
• Stone County — 0

10 a.m.

Coast Transit Authority will suspend all fixed route bus service beginning on Friday, April 3. All transit centers and beach bus stations will remain closed to the public. This suspension is in place through April 20th.

Demand response service for seniors and people with disabilities will be available for essential medical travel, including doctor appointments, dialysis and pharmacy. CTA states they will continue to work with senior citizen service agencies to deliver at home meals.

This service will be a shared ride, but passengers will be asked to practice social distancing while on board buses, keeping at least 6 feet apart within the vehicle to the extent possible.

9 a.m.

Gautier is the latest city to set a curfew of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily due to the coronavirus outbreak. The curfew applies to all but law enforcement and emergency responders, according to a release from City Manager Paula Yancey.

Any large retails stores with a space of up to 100,000 are limited to 30 customers at one time, while smaller retailers with space of up to 25,000 feet will be limited to 20 customers at any given time. Any smaller businesses are restricted to 10 customers at a time.

Restaurants are open for curbside pickup, delivery and carryout meals, and no more than 5 customers are allowed inside a restaurant at one time for pickup orders. In addition, all private country clubs are limited to 30 people at one time and the city golf course remains open.

The orders mirrors that of other cities that have issued stay-at-home orders, with non-essential businesses, such as nail salon, gyms, spas, massage parlors, fitness centers, and entertainment venues, ordered to remain closed, the release said.

All city offices will remain closed to the public, Yancey said in the release. In addition, all public rental facilities are closed, including park pavilions and the Gautier Senior Center, and the boat launch at George Martin City Park remains open.

Municipal court is closed. Anyone who had a court date of April 6 should appear in court on June 1, when the court is tentatively set to reopen. Any court fines, the release said, should be paid in the Police Department lobby.

8 a.m.

A fourth Biloxi firefighter tests positive for COVID-19, Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney said. He received the results after developing symptoms and reported it to a healthcare provider.

7:45

The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 6.6 million people filed of unemployment benefits in the last week, another record nationwide for the second week in a row.

In the week ending March 21, 3.3 million claims had been filed, bringing the total to nearly 10 million people nationwide who have filed for unemployment benefits,

7:30

The Mississippi Public Health Institute, a non-profit organization is encouraging pregnant woman and those who are breastfeeding in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties to take action to protect themselves and their babies during the coronavirus outbreak.

To avoid infection, adhere to the following recommendations:

• Cover your cough
• Avoid people who are sick
• Wash your hands often using soap and water for at least 20 seconds or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Avoid social gatherings of 10 or more people

Any mothers who are breastfeeding with a confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, should do the following:

• Wash your hands before touching the infant
• Wear a face mask while feeling the baby.
• Wash you hands before touching any breast pump or bottle parts.
• Consider having someone who is not sick feed the infant.
• Wear a face mask, if possible, while feeding at the breast
• Wash your hands before touching any breast pump or bottle parts

7 a.m.

Singing River Health Systems reported Thursday it has performed 779 COVID-19 tests to date and has recorded 73 positive cases. Of the 15 new positives, 12 are outpatient and 3 are hospitalized, the report said. “We continue to see a recently developed trend of mostly clustering from friends and relatives who are positive,” the report said.

Highlights from Wednesday:

▪ Gov. Tate Reeves issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire state of Mississippi that will start at 5 p.m. on Friday and last until 8 a.m. on April 20. He called it “the right tool at the right time to save lives.”

▪ Harrison County County Board of Supervisors member Beverly Martin went from about 20-25 percent occupancy to 10-18 percent over the last week.

▪ Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, and Waveland adopted curfews ahead of Gov. Reeves’ shelter-in-place order.

▪ Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula said two more employees have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total to 12.

▪ Three weeks since the first case of coronavirus was reported in Mississippi, the number of cases passed 1,000 in the state and spiked to 157 today in South Mississippi from 134 on Tuesday. Jackson County saw the biggest single day increase to date, with 12 new cases, and at 52 cases has surpassed Harrison County with the most cases in South Mississippi.

▪ Mississippi Power is urging customers to be aware of scammers during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially phone calls demanding payments over the phone.

This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 10:25 AM.