With the number of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi rising daily, city of Meridian and Lauderdale County leaders met Tuesday morning with representatives from local hospitals and health centers to discuss an action plan.

The healthcare coalition, part of the local emergency planning committee, included Mayor Percy Bland and staff, Lauderdale County District 5 Supervisor Kyle Rutledge, Lauderdale County emergency management director Odie Barrett, representatives from Anderson Regional Health System, Rush Health Systems and Alliance Health Center, Lauderdale County School District Superintendent John-Mark Cain and Meridian Public School District Superintendent Amy Carter.

The group discussed preparedness plans, medical supplies, city and county services, hospital protocols, and how testing sites would be set up, if needed.

Following the meeting, Barrett said any mobile testing site would likely be located away from hospitals to avoid inundating them and would be run with the help of the Mississippi National Guard.

Governor Tate Reeves signed an executive order Monday activating the Mississippi National Guard to support mobile testing units.

Barrett called on the public to use common sense and avoid large crowds.

“This is a serious situation,” he said. “We don’t have any kind of outbreak here. We want to keep it that way. And how do we keep Meridian and Lauderdale County safe is to keep that virus from coming in to our area and we’ve got to do that by isolation.”

Leaders stressed the importance of avoiding hospitals if you have symptoms of COVID-19.

“There’s no treatment for this disease,” said Dr. Fred Duggan, chief medical officer for Rush Health Systems, following the meeting. “If you have fever and symptoms, you can call your provider and see if you need any further care. If not, it’s best to stay away from the clinics, away from the hospitals. We want to keep the spread of this as low as we possibly can.”

Duggan said area hospitals do not currently have the capacity to test many people.

“The government’s going to be releasing some of that,” he said. “We’re really saving the testing for the really ill people…We need to know the people that are being admitted if they have it or not, so we can protect the personnel in the hospitals.”

Duggan said there was a limited supply of masks, but enough to protect employees in the hospital.

More were expected to arrive in the coming weeks, he said.

Meridian Public Safety Director Doug Stephens said city hall would remain open as usual.

Bland later announced that only essential travel will be approved for city employees and that limited staff will be available to provide all city services.

The city council later approved several measures related to the COVID-19 crisis: 

• The council declared a state of emergency for the city, which would make the city eligible for certain reimbursement funds related to COVID-19, according to Public Safety Director Doug Stephens.

• The council voted to ensure that any city employees furloughed or on leave because of COVID-19 will continue to be paid.

• The council voted to discontinue the disconnection of city water and waive late fees for 30 days. Bills would still be due during this time period, leaders said.

Nine new cases

State health officials Tuesday morning reported nine new cases of the virus.

New cases were identified in Harrison, Hinds, Jackson and Leflore counties. The state total now stands at 21, with 389 individuals tested.

Most people with COVID-19 have only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of those infected get well. Recovery takes about two weeks for people with mild symptoms but can take three to six weeks for those with more severe illness, according to the World Health Organization.

The White House made a new recommendation Monday to avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.

Total cases as of Tuesday include: Copiah (2), Forrest (3), Harrison (1), Hinds (6); Jackson (1); Leflore (4), Monroe (1) and Pearl River (2).

Bonita Lakes Mall in Meridian changed its hours to 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. daily except for Sunday, when the hours are 1-6 p.m. All events have been canceled including The Easter Bunny. This includes all common area events, outdoor events and activities, until further notice.

Sam’s Club in Meridian is limiting the number of people who can enter the store when it first opens. For safety reasons, only 20 people can come it at a time when the store opens, according to Josh Walters, the store manager. After the opening period, customers may come and go as they please, Walters said. The store also changed its hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice, the company announced on Sunday.