‘That’s all gobbledygook.’ Coast sheriffs at odds over COVID-19 checkpoints at MS borders
When it comes to checkpoints at state borders for out-of-state residents because of COVID-19, sheriffs in Mississippi are at odds about what can be done.
Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam is among the sheriffs who sounded off about the idea of following the lead of nearby states to set up checkpoints on the Mississippi state line to prevent out-of-state residents from coronavirus hot spots such as New Orleans from entering South Mississippi.
“That is great in theory, but who can afford to monitor everybody?” Adam said. “How do you stop people from traveling in this country?
In Florida and Texas, the governors ordered checkpoints at the state lines to pull over mostly Louisiana residents, primarily from the Crescent City, from entering the states without first agreeing to self-quarantine for 14 days to prevent any spread of COVID-19 in those states.
The checkpoints, however, do not prevent the residents from entering the states, but only instruct them to follow self-quarantine orders.
“Who really knows if they are doing that quarantine?” Adam said. “That’s all gobbledygook. I know they are not able to enforce it.”
At the checkpoints, law enforcement officials are supposed to get the identification of the travelers and where they plan to self-isolate so authorities can check to ensure they are doing so.
As it is, Adam said, he’d really need to hire additional officers to be 100 percent sure that local residents are following the statewide mandate to stay in groups of 10 or fewer.
Currently, Mississippi residents are under curfew orders in the majority of cities, and Gov. Tate Reeves issued an executive order for residents to stay at home unless they need to go out to essential businesses, such as grocery stores, and to medical appointments.
Residents are allowed to go to public parks that are open and to fish or go boating as long as they maintain social distancing of 6-feet to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I don’t have time to ride out and see if five cars are parked outside a home, knock on the door and ask if they have more than 10 people in there,” Adam said. “It’s just not possible.”
In addition, a lot of New Orleans residents have second homes in South Mississippi, primarily in Hancock County and neighboring cities such as Pass Christian, and are already staying in the area..
But Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson, however, said he’d be behind any effort to set up checkpoints on the state lines to the east and west at the Louisiana and Alabama borders.
“Everyone seems to want to be reactive instead of proactive,” Peterson said. “There is no reason for anybody to come over here for a hamburger. You need to stay in Louisiana. In-state and out-of-state travel has not been limited. That means, they could bring the virus to us. We have to be proactive.”
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said residents there seem to abiding by state regulations and he hasn’t seen a lot of out-state license plates.
He said he’d simply back whatever actions state leaders wanted authorities to enforce.
In a press conference Thursday, Gov. Tate Reeves said the idea of trying to prevent the out-state-travelers from entering the state is more complicated because Coastal communities have so many residents who live in Mississippi but work in Louisiana and need to travel back and forth.
