Live updates May 6: Mississippi has 217 new coronavirus cases, 32 deaths
As parks and restaurant dining rooms begin reopening tomorrow, Mississippi’s death rate from coronavirus today ties the record of 32 set Tuesday.
Five of the 32 deaths reported Wednesday by the state Health Department are from reviews of prior death certificates, the Health Department said.
Two of the new deaths are in South Mississippi, with 1 in Jackson County and 1 in Pearl River County, putting the total in the six lower counties at 43.
New cases in the state dropped to 217 on Wednesday, down from 330 new cases Tuesday and 327 on Monday. Mississippi now has 8,424 cases and 374 deaths since the pandemic began on March 11.
South Mississippi has 4 new cases Wednesday for a total of 747.
Totals in South Mississippi are:
George — 15 (1 new)
Hancock — 68 (0 new for four days)
Harrison — 187 (1 new)
Jackson — 271 (1 new)
Pearl River — 183 (0 new for two days)
Stone — 23 (1 new)
Ten of the 82 counties in Mississippi account for 40% of total cases in Mississippi. Hinds has the most cases at 565, followed by Lauderdale at 436, Scott at 404, Desoto at 308, Madison at 298, Jackson at 270, Forrest at 259, Leake at 257, Neshoba at 243 and Rankin at 221.
These counties account for 3,261 cases of the 8,207 total. Thirty-one counties have less than 50 cases and 17 counties including Stone, have no coronavirus deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control today reported 22,303 new cases and 2,523 additional deaths across the U.S., up from 19,138 new cases and 823 deaths on Tuesday.
5 p.m.
The mayors of Jackson and Hattiesburg have opted to keep their dining rooms closed and keep restaurants limited to takeout, curbside or delivery.
2 p.m.
Mississippi taxpayers now have until July 15 to file state income taxes, making the date the same as the U.S. deadline.
1:20 p.m.
McLeod Park in Hancock County will begin to reopen on May 8. Reservations will open at 2 p.m. today, except for Halloween reservations will be taken beginning at 12:01 a.m. May 8, 2020.
During this opening all pavilions and public bathrooms will remain closed. All campers must have their own restroom facilities. Only two parking passes per site will be issued and no day passes will be allowed except for boating.
12:30 p.m.
Harrison County Library System will offer contactless curbside pickup at four locations starting Monday, May 11. Patrons can call or email the libraries at D’Iberville, Pass Christian, Orange Grove and West Biloxi to arrange for pickup.
Choices for now will be limited to the items physically at the locations listed. Phone numbers and email addresses are listed on the Harrison County Library website and Facebook page.
While the buildings are still closed, storytimes for children and programs for adults are available on the branch Facebook pages and the library’s YouTube channel. Digital materials are available from the website’s e-resources tab, and those needing a card can email hcls.ecard@gmail.com.
11:30 a.m.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag warning, saying the low humidity and high winds make it dangerous to burn outdoors. Those who are cleaning up their yards while home during the coronavirus should not burn leaves or debris today during the high fire danger.
8:30 a.m.
Mayor Billy Hewes has issued executive order No. 7 for Gulfport, which increases the occupancy rate for retail businesses to 50%, reopens public parks between the hours of 9:00 am-7:00 pm, allows restaurants to reopen for indoor and outdoor dining with guidelines that can be found in Executive Order No. 7 and the Governor’s Order No. 1498.
Barbershops, salons, gyms, amusement facilities and massage services remain closed as of now.
7 a.m.
Some of Biloxi’s baseball and softball fields will open tomorrow, Chief Administrator Mike Leonard said at Tuesday’s council meeting. Not all the parks and restrooms will be open because of the need to constantly clean, he said.
Outdoor gatherings can have up to 20 people, according to the governor’s latest order. Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said the fields will be open for practice and casual play, but scrimmage games or actual games are not allowed.
Leonard said tennis and pickleball courts can reopen and the disc golf at Hiller Park will be prepared for reopening today.
Tuesday highlights
▪ Mississippi’s state health department announced Tuesday 330 new cases of coronavirus and 32 deaths — by far the largest one-day death toll to date. The previous high number of deaths reported by Mississippi State Department of Health was 20 on May 1.
Mississippi now has 8,207 cases and 342 deaths since the pandemic began on March 11. Ten more people are hospitalized today, for a total of 452.
▪ Bay St. Louis City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday to rescind an April 28 vote to cut council members’ pay by 20 percent through the rest of the budget year. The council claims that the reason for the change is that the action is prohibited by state law.
▪ The state legislature will reconvene at 1 p.m. on Thursday to debate how best to help small businesses that are struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release. Legislation establishing the program will set parameters and allocate funds to a state agency to administer.
▪ A survey of Mississippi business leaders and owners shows 88% of those who responded said the coronavirus has negatively impacted their operations, with 64 percent reporting revenue drops of up to 60 percent.
Nearly 45% said they are concerned about financial impact on operations and capital, decreased consumer confidence and spending, lower productivity and even going out of business.
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 2:24 PM.