Live updates June 3: South Mississippi has 7 new coronavirus cases
Today is 12 weeks since the first case of coronavirus was reported in Mississippi, and there’s another death on the Coast and South Mississippi is averaging about 7 new cases a day.
Across the state there were 302 new cases and 15 new deaths reported today, including 1 in Jackson County,
Since March 11, Mississippi has seen 16.322 cases and 782 deaths, according to today’s report from the Mississippi State Department of Health.
There are 11,203 estimated recoveries in the state.
South Mississippi has had a total of 936 cases, with 7 new cases reported today. There have been 65 deaths in the six counties. Stone is the only county is South Mississippi with no reported deaths.
South Mississippi hit of about 26 average cases a day around April 15. New cases dropped to an average of 13 new cases a day on May 1 and the average has remained under 10 since May 5.
Total cases by county are:
George — 28 (2 new)
Hancock —90 (1 fewer)
Harrison — 265 (2 new)
Jackson — 309 (1 new)
Pearl River — 212 (1 new)
Stone — 32 (1 new)
12:45 p.m.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic at Point Cadet in Biloxi is postponed for a week because of Tropical Storm Cristobal. The new schedule has registration on Wednesday, June 10. The boats depart Thursday and return Saturday for weigh-in, with social distancing observed.
12:30 p.m.
Ship Island ferry service, which was delayed by the coronavirus, now is delayed because of the approach of Tropical Storm Cristobal.
The staff will set the up beach rentals and prepare the island snack bar on Tuesday and the ferry service and island operation will officially begin on Wednesday, June 10, said Capt. Louis Skrmetta.
12:15 p.m.
The July 4 Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo in Gulfport is canceled this year because of the coronavirus.
Noon
The Blood Center now is testing all donors for COVID-19 antibodies.
This free service will inform the donor if they carry the COVID-19 antibody, which will indicate whether the individual has been exposed to the virus. Donors who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies may be eligible to donate COVID Convalescent Plasma.
Donors must go to thebloodcenter.org or call 800-86-BLOOD to schedule an appointment.
Blood drives this week are:
Thursday — Grand Magnolia Ballroom, 3604 Magnolia St., Pascagoula. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday — Wade Baptist Church, 20623 Mississippi 63, Moss Point. Noon-7 p.m.
Saturday — Connect Fellowship Church, 15521 Oak Lane, Gulfport. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
June 8 — Gautier Donor Center, 1408 U.S 90. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Blood Center, a nonprofit organization, is the primary supplier of blood and blood components in Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi.
7 a.m.
Mississippi has been approved to operate Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer, a new federal program that provides assistance to families of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals dealing with school closures.
It will benefit current SNAP participants and other eligible households to offset the cost of meals that would have otherwise been eaten at school.
For the 2019-20 school year, Mississippi had approximately 357,000 children eligible for free and reduced-priced lunch, or about 74% of children in participating schools.
Tuesday’s highlights
▪ Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office has recommended that the Mississippi State Department of Health begin releasing the names of current long-term care facilities that have COVID-19 outbreaks.
Beginning Wednesday, the names of these facilities will be posted on the department’s website and updated daily. The list will include the name and county of the facility only, not a breakdown of the number of cases associated with each facility.
▪ The Back to Business Mississippi Grant Program’s website has gone live.
The program will use grant funding appropriated in Senate Bill 2772 to help businesses in Mississippi with 50 or fewer employees recover from the economic impact of COVID-19, including operating expenses and salaries.
Mississippi Development Authority soon will begin accepting applications on this site from small businesses. Register at backtobusinessms.org to receive emails for more information.
▪ First Bank and Trust announces the re-opening of all branch lobbies including Biloxi on June 8.
Lobbies and customer waiting areas are being spaced according to CDC recommendations and sanitizing stations have been placed throughout the lobbies.
FBT employees will wear a face mask during face-to-face interactions with customers. Visitors in the lobby are also asked to wear a mask and may be asked they lower them for identification purposes if necessary.
▪ Biloxi’s traditional Fais Do-Do will not take place this year because of the coronavirus, but the 91st annual Blessing of the Fleet and Coronation of the Shrimp King and Queen will be held this weekend.
The Blessing Mass at St. Michael Catholic Church on U.S. 90 will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday. The coronation of the king and queen will be held Saturday during a ceremony that will be live streamed on the Biloxi Blessing Facebook page.
▪ The state’s top health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday the state’s new coronavirus cases are because of community transmission and not more testing, and Tuesday’s numbers show 268 new cases, with 7 in South Mississippi.
The report showed 28 deaths related to COVID-19, including 10 that were added from death certificate reports between May 6 and May 27. One of those deaths was in Hancock County. That’s the third-most deaths reported in a single day after two days in early May had 32 new deaths.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 11:49 AM.