Reeves is easing restrictions on MS shelter-in-place order. Here are the details.
Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday that he has signed a “safer at home” order that will loosen restrictions put in place on April 1 under a shelter-in-place order.
Reeves said that the state-wide order will go into effect at 8 a.m. on Monday and last for two weeks until May 11. He left open the possibility of changing the order prior to that date.
Here are the guidelines:
▪ Mississippians are encouraged to stay at home “as much as you possibly can.”
▪ People who are the most vulnerable are ordered to shelter in place. This includes the elderly and people who have compromised immune systems.
▪ The order stills bans all nonessential gatherings of 10 or more people.
▪ Business that can practice social distancing and other guidelines set by the health department will be allowed to open.
▪ Businesses that will remain closed include places of amusement or entertainment like casinos, theaters, bars and museums.
▪ Businesses that cannot avoid social contact like salons, gyms, spas and tattoo parlors remain closed.
▪ Restaurants will still be limited to drive-through, carry out and delivery.
▪ Newly-opened stores are asked to reduce capacity by 50 percent and encourage employees to wear masks. Also, those stores should monitor employees for COVID-19 symptoms.
▪ Evictions are still prohibited.
▪ Health care professionals will be allowed to conduct some elective procedures as long as they follow the guidelines of the health department.
Reeves credited Mississippians for their efforts in taking steps in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
“I want to take opportunity to thank the people of Mississippi,” he said. “Thank you for your dedication to the fight. I want you to know that you are winning. You are flattening the curve.
“We cannot let our guard down and pretend this is over. It’s not. The fight must go on. Why? Because we are facing a crisis. This threat is real. It is deadly. This virus is historically contagious. We must not take it lightly.”
Reeves is still discouraging churches from holding in-house services and asking people to watch services from home.
On April 17, Reeves announced that he would allow Coast beaches and state lakes to open. He also allowed retail sales to resume at nonessential businesses only through delivery and curbside pickup.
Total cases of the new coronavirus officially reported in Mississippi stand at 5,434 with 209 deaths.
Reeves’ decision to further allow more businesses is tied to the state’s unemployment claims, which have risen dramatically in recent weeks.
The state’s call line has been overwhelmed with unemployment claims in the last week.
“We went from less than 1,000 up to 45,000 new claims last week,” Reeves said. “We did have a down tick. The numbers that came out today showed approximately 35,000 new people got online and were successful in filing unemployment insurance. We’re continuing to ramp up the number of people.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 2:57 PM.
