Updates April 6: Mississippians should wear masks to limit coronavirus spread, state says

6 p.m.

▪ President Donald Trump has approved the governor’s request for a major disaster declaration, which means “public assistance is now available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance.”

▪ The Mississippi State Department of Health also has announced it is asking all Mississippians to “wear locally produced (non-medical grade masks) or homemade cloth masks when leaving the home to perform essential functions such as grocery shopping or filling prescriptions.”

The health department also advises all healthcare workers to wear faces masks throughout the work day.

Cloth face coverings should:

• fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
• be secured with ties or ear loops
• include multiple layers of fabric
• allow for breathing without restriction
• be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape.

“MSDH recommends that essential commercial operations, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores, take every measure to ensure social distancing and proper hand hygiene.

“All shopping carts should be sanitized between uses. Every effort should be made to prevent crowding within stores including in the aisles, outside the store, and at checkout.

“Again, patrons should always maintain a distance of at least six feet from one another.”

▪ At 7 p.m. Friday, WXXV and other news outlets across the state will air a live virtual town hall meeting with Gov. Tate Reeves, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

Due to restrictions on large gatherings, the one-hour virtual town hall will take place at the studios of WJTV in Jackson and bring viewers in communities across the state together via live television broadcast and livestream video, available locally on wxxv25.com.

Viewers are invited to submit questions to Reeves and Dobbs via social media using the hashtag #AskReevesfrom from now until April 9.

2:30 p.m.

In a press conference, Gov. Tate Reeves said 200 beds will be available at Camp Shelby for those recovering from COVID-19 so patients don’t have to risk returning home and spreading the virus.

There also will be a site selected in North Mississippi, and he said engineering teams are assessing possibilities for that location. It will probably not be a military facility, he said, but possibly a casino, hotel or dormitory.

Reeves said the models for projected peak usage of state resources had changed slightly over the weekend, now estimating a peak date of April 18. The state also is basing its plans on 150% of the expected need, he said.

He hopes to not need to use the beds at Camp Shelby, but said it was better to be prepared.

“That’s what we learned during Hurricane Katrina,” he said.

Reeves also said he has been concerned about neighboring Louisiana’s high rate of coronavirus infections, and said after talking with Gov. John Bel Edwards it appears cases there could start falling this week.

Also during the press conference Jim Craig, head of the state health department’s Office of Health Protection, said the virus was affecting the African American community at “a little higher rate.” He did not provide any more details.

1:45 p.m.

Ingalls Shipbuilding reports 13 people have tested positive for the coronavirus at the West Bank production area of the shipyard in Pascagoula. Five of those employees have recovered to the point they now are eligible to return to work, the company reports today.

12:40 p.m.

A slight dip in the number of new coronavirus cases across the U.S. is reported by the Center for Disease Control today, but the rate of death from the virus saw its biggest one-day increase.

Today there are 330,891 cases nationwide, an increase of 26,065. That is the smallest increase since April 1.

Another 1,284 people died from coronavirus over the last day, for a total of 8,910. The previous single-day high was 1,150 deaths on Saturday.

11:30 a.m.

The local chambers of commerce and Singing River Health System are holding blood drives tomorrow, April 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Schedule an appointment at the Family Interactive Center Gym, 1415 Skip Ave., Pascagoula or the YMCA lobby, 1810 Government St., Ocean Springs.

11:15 a.m.

Long Beach School District “grab and go” lunches will be open this week during spring break. Meals are available at Quarles Elementary from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

10 a.m.

As the funeral service was streamed live for a Coast couple who died together of the coronavirus, Mississippi Department of Health reported Monday 100 new cases and 8 additional deaths across the state.

In the 6 southern counties there were 20 new cases reported along with 2 deaths in Jackson County and 1 in Pearl River County. That brings the total in South Mississippi to 265 cases and 11 deaths.

The total for Mississippi now stands at 1,738 cases and 51 deaths.

Today’s report also shows 6 long-term care facilities in the 6 lower counties have coronavirus outbreaks, with 2 in Hancock and Pearl River counties and 1 LTC in Harrison and Jackson counties.

Total cases in South Mississippi are:

George County — 5 (0 new)

Hancock County — 30 (adjusted from 31 on April 5)

Harrison County — 79 (6 new)

Jackson County — 98 (12 new)

Pearl River County — 52 (3 new)

Stone County — 1 (0 new)

7:10 a.m.

Singing River Health System has performed 1,019 tests to date, with 94 positive results. CEO Lee Bond said the hospitals have been able to discharge some younger, healthy hospitalized patients to finish their recovery at home, and discharged a man who was over 70 with two chronic conditions who has made a full recovery and is doing exceptionally well.

Two patients died at SRHS over the last 24 hours, Bond said on Sunday. “It still appears that people are mostly spreading it to older vulnerable family members not at their jobs but when visiting family, he said, and directs people should stop visiting.

7 a.m.

Mobile testing for the coronavirus continues in Mississippi with a drive-thru testing site in Moss Point from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday across from City Hall at 4320 McInnis Ave.

Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 must first go through a free screening through the C Spire Health UMMC Virtual COVID-19 Triage telehealth smartphone app. Screening through the app is available 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Those without smartphones can call 601-496-7200.

Highlights from Sunday

▪ Mississippi sports writer David Johnson with COVID-19 continues to fight for his life in an Oxford hospital. He has been on a ventilator in UCF since March 25.

Johnson’s daughter, Sydney, posted on Facebook that doctors told the family this week that he has only a 5 percent chance of surviving, but he appears to have shown some progress.

▪ The Mississippi Department of Health reported 183 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday morning, including eight more deaths.

Sunday’s numbers marked the most single-day new cases and deaths announced by the department since it first started releasing a running tally on March 11. There have been 1,638 cases announced in Mississippi with 43 deaths.

Two of those new deaths were in Jackson County, which reports seven new cases, and Stone County announced its first case of COVID-19.

▪ Free drive-up testing for COVID-19 will be available in Moss Point 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday across from city hall.

The location where the tests will take place is at 4320 McInnis Avenue in Moss Point.

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 10:45 AM.