Some hair salons, barber shops and gyms in Meridian reopened their doors Monday with caution, implementing new safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday that the businesses could reopen with certain restrictions.

Elegance Ballroom Dance and Fitness Studio on Front Street was preparing for a 5:30 barre class, with a limited number of students.

The studio’s closure, which began in mid-March, had taken an emotional and financial toll, said owner Leslie Lee. 

Lee offered online classes while the studio was closed and hoped to gain new clients upon reopening. 

“The big part is not being able to see our little studio family because we love our clients,” she said.

Now that her doors were open, Lee said she would limit class sizes to ten people and offer a sanitizing station. 

Students would be asked to bring their own mats and place them where marked on the floor, six feet apart. 

On 8th Street, barber Travis Alexander said Monday that he was taking things day by day and trying to be as safe as possible for his customers at Nice Cutz. 

“It was sort of a relief a little bit, but at the same time it was kind of scary a little bit too,” he said, referring to the governor’s order allowing barber shops to open. “I don’t want to get sick. I don’t want to transfer it over to anyone else.”

Alexander is asking clients to sanitize their hands and is limiting business to one client at a time, by appointment only. 

State health officials reported ten new cases of COVID-19 in Lauderdale County Monday, for a total of 492, and one additional death, for a total of 44 deaths.

The county has the highest total number of deaths in Mississippi, including 26 reported from long-term care facilities, records show.

As of Monday, Anderson Regional Medical Center was hospitalizing 30 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 14 patients from a week ago, according to the hospital’s website.

Rush Foundation Hospital is not reporting daily COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The number of Mississippians currently hospitalized with COVID-19 infection has fallen to 399, according to the health department.

In its latest totals, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 84 cases and eight deaths in Clarke County, 93 cases and six deaths in Kemper County, 320 cases and 15 deaths in Neshoba County and 142 cases and one death in Newton County.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center and MSDH will hold a one-day testing site in Neshoba County on Wednesday, May 13 at Facility Building, 11350 Highway 491 North, Philadelphia.

To be tested, an individual must first complete a screening using the C Spire Health smartphone app. Those without smartphones who want to be screened for testing can call (601) 496-7200.

Testing hours are from noon – 4 p.m. and only those with appointments will be tested.

MSDH reported 173 new cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi Monday, for a total of 9,674, and five additional deaths, for a total of 435 deaths statewide.

Reeves extends unemployment benefits

Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday announced efforts to extend unemployment benefits to workers affected by the pandemic. In his latest executive order, Reeves is waiving the one-week waiting period to receive unemployment benefits for all claims filed from March 8 to Dec. 26. Under the initial Executive Order, the waiting period was waived until June 27.

The new order also increases the $40 earning allowance to $200 from May 3 until June 27 and waives any interest from April 1 to June 27 on all collection activities suspended under the initial order. The offset of future benefits due to overpayments will be reduced to 25 percent from March 29 until June 27.

Additional updates include:

For employers:

• Any charges related to COVID-19 and associated charges to both rated and reimbursable employers’ accounts are waived from March 8 to June 27. Interest will not be accrued during this period.

• The First Quarter 2020 pay date imposed for contributions of both rated and reimbursable employers has been suspended and moved to July 31.

• Penalties for late reporting and contribution payments from March 8 to July 31 are suspended.

For workers:

• Those unable to search for work because of COVID-19, including because they have contracted the virus, have been under quarantine, or have had their movements restricted, will be interpreted as such for claims filed between March 8 to June 27.

• Work registration requirements from March 8 to June 27 are suspended, and individuals are not required to report in-person.

Cases and Deaths by County

Totals of all reported cases since March 11, including those in long-term care (LTC) facilities.

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	159	12	39	5
Alcorn	10	1	0	0
Amite	38	0	1	0
Attala	190	4	60	4
Benton	13	0	1	0
Bolivar	118	9	16	3
Calhoun	57	4	23	4
Carroll	103	4	45	3
Chickasaw	92	10	25	6
Choctaw	16	2	0	0
Claiborne	41	0	0	0
Clarke	81	8	13	4
Clay	66	3	0	0
Coahoma	71	3	0	0
Copiah	162	1	1	0
Covington	90	1	1	1
Desoto	331	5	1	1
Forrest	314	21	48	10
Franklin	19	1	1	0
George	15	1	0	0
Greene	6	1	0	0
Grenada	51	2	14	2
Hancock	74	10	6	3
Harrison	198	6	1	1
Hinds	670	15	53	9
Holmes	213	19	40	8
Humphreys	30	4	7	2
Itawamba	68	6	33	5
Jackson	275	11	39	2
Jasper	86	2	0	0
Jefferson	30	0	0	0
Jefferson Davis	53	1	2	0
Jones	247	5	25	1
Kemper	92	6	23	4
Lafayette	98	3	36	0
Lamar	152	4	3	2
Lauderdale	482	43	120	26
Lawrence	66	0	1	0
Leake	299	3	0	0
Lee	77	4	5	0
Leflore	185	18	45	8
Lincoln	186	14	64	10
Lowndes	83	3	7	2
Madison	431	12	52	9
Marion	81	7	14	2
Marshall	55	2	0	0
Monroe	199	21	92	19
Montgomery	69	1	0	0
Neshoba	315	14	32	6
Newton	138	1	1	0
Noxubee	102	2	9	2
Oktibbeha	89	4	27	3
Panola	43	2	0	0
Pearl River	189	24	42	6
Perry	34	1	0	0
Pike	168	10	14	5
Pontotoc	24	2	4	0
Prentiss	36	2	22	2
Quitman	17	0	0	0
Rankin	250	6	6	0
Scott	457	6	9	1
Sharkey	5	0	0	0
Simpson	61	0	2	0
Smith	100	6	26	3
Stone	24	0	0	0
Sunflower	63	3	0	0
Tallahatchie	12	1	0	0
Tate	50	0	1	0
Tippah	65	11	0	0
Tishomingo	10	0	1	0
Tunica	38	2	12	2
Union	47	3	13	2
Walthall	39	0	0	0
Warren	117	2	12	0
Washington	82	3	4	1
Wayne	27	0	2	0
Webster	22	1	0	0
Wilkinson	77	9	5	2
Winston	63	0	0	0
Yalobusha	31	0	0	0
Yazoo	164	2	1	0
Total	9,501	430	1,202	191

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