MS Governor Tate Reeves issues statewide COVID-19 limits on bars, social gatherings
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday he is issuing some statewide orders and expanding current orders to six more counties to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
As part of an update to his Safe Return order, bars can now only sell alcohol to seated customers, and no alcohol can be sold at restaurants or bars from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The other statewide update to Reeves’ order is that indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings are limited to 20.
Reeves said he plans to sign his new executive orders by the end of the day. They will go into effect immediately and last until 8 a.m. Aug. 3.
Bars and restaurants remain limited to 50% capacity, and they are required to maintain 6 feet of social distance between groups. Tables should be limited to a total of six people.
“We are still in the middle of our most painful period of COVID-19 spread to date,” Reeves said Friday. “We have to slow the spread to prevent our health care system from becoming overwhelmed.
“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of spread in young people. By far, the group driving these high numbers is people in their 20’s. I’ve been talking for about a week about wanting to do something to curb the spread among young, drunk, careless folks.”
After receiving a visit from Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the leaders of the White House coronavirus task force, on July 15, Reeves indicated that he was leaning toward placing some limitations on capacity in some bars.
Reeves has said often said that he is always hesitant to place limitations on private business, but the rising COVID-19 numbers convinced him that the move was necessary.
The decision follows a move by Texas in late June to close bars. In Florida and Louisiana, alcohol consumption in bars has been banned.
Mask mandate expanded by six counties
Reeves added six more counties to the list that requires mask mandates and stricter social distancing.
The list, was already includes Harrison and Jackson counties in South Mississippi, now includes Calhoun, Holmes, Lamar, Montgomery, Winston, and Yalobusha.
The list now includes 29 of the state’s 82 counties.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 3:01 PM.
