Gov. Reeves extends Mississippi’s shelter-in-place order. But there are a few changes.
Gov. Tate Reeves said Mississippians need to shelter in place for one more week before he begins to reopen the state, despite the worst economic pain in history.
“Remember our goal,” he said. “We cannot stop the spread of this contagious virus. We can slow it down and we can get through the worst part of the cycle.”
“ . . . We need one more week to break the back of our enemy.”
He offered a glimmer of a return to normal, saying Coast beaches and state lakes could reopen for fishing and relaxing.
He also said retail sales at nonessential businesses could resume, but only through curbside pickup and delivery. For example, he said, salons could offer curbside service or delivery only, not indoor services.
Groups are still limited to 10 and social distancing must be practiced.
Reeves said he intends the beach and partial nonessential business reopenings to take effect at 8 a.m. Monday. But that is not what his executive order says and the order prevails, said Tim Holleman, attorney for the Harrison County Board of Supervisors.
Holleman told supervisors at a meeting shortly after Reeves’ news conference that the order immediately reopens beaches and retail sales for nonessential businesses because it revises the previous order closing them without mentioning a time frame.
Reeves’ order does say that localities can make the final decision on whether to open beaches.
Harrison County supervisors on Friday agreed to follow the governor’s order. Supervisor Kent Jones, a former police officer, objected, saying social distancing and group limits would be hard to enforce.
Hancock and Jackson counties’ boards of supervisors are scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Monday to discuss whether they will open beaches and piers.
Reeves said he wants to open lakes and beaches so people can “safely get out in the sun for their own sanity.” He said mental health has been a factor in his decision and a point of discussion with the state’s public health officials.
Reeves said he hopes nonessential retail business reopenings will ease crowding at big-box stores by spreading out customers.
“We are headed toward reopening,” Reeves said. “It is coming soon. There is light at the end of the tunnel.”
A factor in slowly easing restrictions is the need to avoid overwhelming hospitals, he said. Mississippi has so far had enough beds to treat COVID-cases. Ventilators also are holding up, with 95 in use and 671 available.
Public Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said the state is still struggling to provide enough personal protective equipment and also hopes to expand testing.
Reeves said working Mississippians are shouldering the burden of the economic crisis, with 140,000 unemployed. Federal funds for small business relief are tapped out, and Mississippi workers laid off during the novel coronavirus pandemic are having difficulty getting through for unemployment assistance.
“That’s not fair,” the governor said. “That’s not right.”
He had hoped to ease COVID-19 restrictions Friday, he said, but public health is paramount. The state saw its largest increase in COVID-19 cases this week, Reeves said.
He believes the curve is flattening.
“I know we can not stay in this position much longer,” he said, “but we are still in the eye of the storm.”
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs also advised all Mississippians to continue wearing masks when out in public or around other people.
The number of cases in Mississippi continues to climb as testing becomes more widely available. Cases doubled over 10 days, to 3,624 by April 16. The state was reporting a total of 3,624 cases on Thursday, with 129 deaths.
Reeves’ original shelter-in-place order and restrictions on business activity went into effect the evening of April 3 and was set to expire at 8 a.m. April 20 before Friday’s announcement. The new order will be in force until 8 a.m. April 27.
Shelter-in-place or stay-home orders are being enforced on more than 90% of the U.S. population, CNN reported Wednesday, offering a rundown of the orders by state.
President Donald Trump on Thursday evening left the decision to states on reopening, but said he thought some were in shape to begin easing restrictions almost immediately, with social distancing and the continued limit of gatherings of no more than 10 people.
Politico reported Thursday that more than one dozen states have already extended shelter-in-place orders past the White House deadline of April 30 for beginning to return to normal.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 9:26 AM.
