Reeves: Mississippi public schools to remain closed
Published 10:02 am Tuesday, April 14, 2020
- Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves discusses the COVID-19 virus on April 6. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Students attending public schools in Mississippi won’t return to class this semester, Gov. Tate Reeves announced during a briefing on Tuesday.
In mid-March, school were closed through April 17 due to the spread of COVID-19, and colleges and universities have shifted to online courses.
K-12 schools also established distance learning plans using online resources and paper materials.
Reeves recommended that school leaders continue to offer those resources to students.
The declaration “does not mean school is canceled,” Reeves said during the briefing. “Distance learning will continue, and I will be asking each school to submit plans to show they are doing just that, and to step up and share the best practices we have learned the past several weeks.”
The governor said he would ask educators to consider opening schools in the summer or early fall.
“Not as a mandate, and it won’t be for everybody,” he emphasized. “But we know that this virus doesn’t hit everybody equally. The economic damage doesn’t hit everyone equally. And, despite the best efforts of our education community, this hasn’t hit all students equally, either.”
“Not everyone has fancy webcams and fast internet,” he said. “Not everyone has parents who can become full time teachers. Those are blessings – we can’t expect that every household will be equipped to handle this the same.”
Enterprise School District Superintendent Josh Perkins said teachers will continue to provide distance learning and grab-and-go lunches will still be available.
Perkins noted that some students may need remedial work when schools reopen in the fall.
During the briefing, Reeves also announced the establishment of “Restart Mississippi”, a team of business leaders tasked with rebooting the state’s economy.
“They will study the impact of COVID-19 on our workforce…and our small businesses,” he said “And they will help us recover, day by day.”
Joe Sanderson, CEO of Laurel-based Sanderson Farms, will chair the group, which will be composed of business leaders from each region of the state, Reeves said.
“They will help us transform and rebuild our economy during this new time.” he said.
Bland extends order
Following Reeves’ announcement, Meridian Mayor Percy Bland extended the city’s shelter-in-place order to midnight on Sunday, April 19, when the state’s order expires. The city’s 9 p.m. to 6 a.m curfew will remain in effect through April 30.
The Meridian Police Department reported that since Saturday, 24 people have been arrested for violating the order. Ten people were arrested on Saturday, 10 on Sunday and four were arrested Monday.
Under the city’s shelter-in-place order, which went into effect April 1, all retail shops and Bonita Lakes Mall; all city parks, playgrounds and basketball courts, including Bonita Lakes Park and Northeast Park; and all daycares, except for those needed by essential workers, were closed for two weeks.
The restrictions do not apply to grocery stores, convenience stores, hardware stores, gas stations, agricultural supply stores, medical supply stores and stores supplying first responders and healthcare workers.
Under the city order, restaurants remain open, but only with curbside service or delivery. Bars, gyms, dance studios and clubs were ordered to close. Non-essential businesses listed in the mayor’s order also include barber shops, beauty salons, nail salons, spas, massage parlors and tattoo parlors.
The governor’s order requires all non-essential businesses and non-profits to stop operations, except for activities needed to maintain the facilities, equipment, inventory, payroll and security.
Essential business operations, including some within public safety, healthcare operations, infrastructure, agriculture and other fields may remain open. Restaurants and bars may remain open limited to drive-thru, curbside and/or delivery service.
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported three additional deaths from COVID-19 in Lauderdale County Tuesday, bringing the total to 11, the highest in the state.
In the latest update, Lauderdale County had six new confirmed cases, for a total of 156, the fourth highest number of cases in Mississippi.
As of Tuesday, Anderson Regional Medical Center was hospitalizing 20 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, the hospital’s website said.
How Lauderdale County COVID-19 cases and deaths compare by county, population.
Lauderdale – pop. ~77K; COVID-19 deaths: 11, cases: 156
Hinds – pop. ~241K; COVID-19 deaths: 2, cases: 263
Rankin – pop. ~151K; COVID-19 deaths: 2, cases: 105
Madison – pop. ~103K; COVID-19 deaths: 3, cases: 108
–U.S. Census, Mississippi Department of Health
Nursing home outbreaks in Lauderdale County may be contributing to the county’s high number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Monday.
Four long-term care facilities in the county have a confirmed outbreak of the virus, according to MSDH.
MSDH confirmed 145 new cases in Mississippi Tuesday, for a state total of 3,087, and 13 additional deaths, for a total of 111 statewide. Sixty outbreaks have occurred at long-term care facilities in Mississippi, state records show.
MSDH reported Clarke County had 15 cases, one death and two outbreaks at long-term care facilities, Kemper County had 14 cases, Neshoba County had 33 cases and one death and Newton County had 14 cases and one outbreak at a long-term care facility.
As of Sunday, 37,733 people had been tested for COVID-19 in Mississippi, MSDH said.
According to state health officials, confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths are reported in the patient’s home county. For example, if a Lauderdale County resident tests positive for COVID-19 in Hinds County or dies in Hinds County, it will be included in the total for Lauderdale County.
Bianca Moorman contributed to this report.
Please check back for updates.
Outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCs)
Long-term care (LTC) facilities like nursing homes are considered high risk locations because their residents are older or in poor health. Even one case of COVID-19 in these facilities among residents or employees is considered an outbreak. We investigate residents, staff and close contacts of infected individuals for possible exposure. The number of LTC facilities with outbreaks are shown for each county in the table below.
| County | Cases | Deaths | LTCs with Outbreaks |
| Adams | 62 | 1 | 2 |
| Alcorn | 7 | ||
| Amite | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| Attala | 22 | ||
| Benton | 5 | ||
| Bolivar | 69 | 4 | 2 |
| Calhoun | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| Carroll | 8 | ||
| Chickasaw | 32 | 2 | 1 |
| Choctaw | 11 | 1 | |
| Claiborne | 6 | ||
| Clarke | 15 | 1 | 2 |
| Clay | 20 | ||
| Coahoma | 39 | 1 | |
| Copiah | 31 | ||
| Covington | 15 | ||
| Desoto | 188 | 2 | 1 |
| Forrest | 114 | 2 | 2 |
| Franklin | 10 | ||
| George | 10 | ||
| Greene | 2 | ||
| Grenada | 13 | ||
| Hancock | 46 | 5 | 2 |
| Harrison | 121 | 5 | 2 |
| Hinds | 263 | 2 | 4 |
| Holmes | 47 | 3 | |
| Humphreys | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Itawamba | 9 | 1 | |
| Jackson | 157 | 5 | 2 |
| Jasper | 14 | ||
| Jefferson | 4 | 1 | |
| Jefferson Davis | 6 | 1 | |
| Jones | 40 | 3 | |
| Kemper | 14 | ||
| Lafayette | 33 | 2 | |
| Lamar | 46 | 1 | |
| Lauderdale | 156 | 11 | 4 |
| Lawrence | 7 | ||
| Leake | 32 | 1 | |
| Lee | 46 | 4 | |
| Leflore | 52 | 6 | 2 |
| Lincoln | 56 | 4 | 2 |
| Lowndes | 25 | 1 | |
| Madison | 108 | 3 | 3 |
| Marion | 25 | 1 | |
| Marshall | 34 | 2 | |
| Monroe | 38 | 2 | 2 |
| Montgomery | 15 | 1 | |
| Neshoba | 33 | 1 | |
| Newton | 14 | 1 | |
| Noxubee | 6 | ||
| Oktibbeha | 37 | 1 | 2 |
| Panola | 26 | 2 | |
| Pearl River | 93 | 8 | 2 |
| Perry | 20 | 1 | |
| Pike | 62 | 1 | 1 |
| Pontotoc | 15 | 2 | |
| Prentiss | 14 | 1 | |
| Quitman | 12 | ||
| Rankin | 105 | 2 | |
| Scott | 62 | 1 | |
| Sharkey | 3 | ||
| Simpson | 7 | 1 | |
| Smith | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| Stone | 14 | ||
| Sunflower | 41 | 2 | |
| Tallahatchie | 4 | ||
| Tate | 25 | ||
| Tippah | 45 | 6 | 1 |
| Tishomingo | 2 | ||
| Tunica | 23 | 1 | 1 |
| Union | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Walthall | 22 | ||
| Warren | 14 | 1 | |
| Washington | 57 | 2 | 2 |
| Wayne | 9 | ||
| Webster | 14 | 1 | |
| Wilkinson | 49 | 3 | 1 |
| Winston | 20 | ||
| Yalobusha | 14 | ||
| Yazoo | 64 | 1 | |
| Total | 3,087 | 111 | 60 |
The numbers in this table are provisional. County case numbers and deaths may change as investigation finds new or additional information about residence.
–Mississippi Department of Health
