Gov. Reeves gives statewide “shelter in place” order for Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - Governor Tate Reeves has signed a new executive order establishing a statewide shelter-in-place for Mississippi to slow the spread of COVID-19. Previously, only Lauderdale County was under such an order.

The statewide shelter in place order goes into effect Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. and will remain in effect until Monday, April 20, at 8:00 a.m. Read the full order here: https://bit.ly/34059yO

The shelter-in-place rules consist of:

• Individuals are to stay at home except for the limited allowances in the executive order.
• When outside of their homes, people must follow social distancing guidelines by maintaining a 6-foot distance from others and avoid groups of 10 or more.
• Evictions are suspended, though people are still required to pay any rent or make any mortgage payments.
• All nonessential businesses are to stop all activities other than those necessary for minimum operations (e.g. payroll, health insurance, security) and enabling employees to work from home.
• Social and other non-essential gatherings in groups of more than 10 people must be cancelled or rescheduled.
• Restaurants and bars may only remain open for drive-thru, curbside, and/or delivery service.
• People may leave their homes only to perform essential activities, such as caring for someone in the vulnerable population, getting food or necessary supplies, and working for an essential business.
• Individual outdoor recreation is encouraged, but not group recreation or activities such as soccer or basketball games.

Tuesday, a number of cities across the state issued their own orders asking residents to stay at home, and establishing curfews for overnight hours. You can see a full list of coast cities with curfews in place HERE.

In regard to businesses that are deemed essential, click here.

Wednesday, the Mississippi Department of Health reported 1,073 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, which brings the total number of Coast residents diagnosed with the virus to 157. Statewide, 136 new cases and 2 new deaths were reported Wednesday.

Of the over 1,000 cases reported across Mississippi, Jackson County has 52 cases. Only three other counties in the state have numbers higher than Jackson County. Hinds County leads Mississippi with 109 cases. Desoto County is reporting 94 cases and Madison has 53.

In all, 22 Mississippi residents have died as a result of the virus as of March 31, 2020, according to MSDH, including one Harrison County resident and one Hancock County resident.

Click here to read the data on COVID-19 from the Mississippi Department of Health.

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