MISSISSIPPI – Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has announced he will allow lakes and beaches to reopen so people can relieve quarantine stress.
“It’s a small thing, but I hope it helps even a bit for people who need to safely get out in the sun for their own sanity,” Gov. Reeves said. “We need to do anything we can to help address the growing depression, isolation and other mental health issues.”
Gov. Reeves is extending the statewide stay-at-home order by one week, but is pulling back on some restrictions surrounding those public spaces and non-essential businesses.
His initial stay-at-home order was put into place on April 3 and is set to expire at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, April 20. Gov. Reeves’ second order begins Monday morning so the modifications, such as the opening of the lakes and beaches, will not be in place this weekend.
The governor also stated his desire for non-essential businesses to reopen for curbside or delivery so that large crowds do not overwhelm big-box stores that remain open.
Gov. Reeves says that social distancing still needs to be observed with no gatherings of groups larger than ten people. Local government is allowed to use their own discretion when it comes to reopening their public spaces and can close them should they need to.
On April 17, Mississippi saw an increase of COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the reported case total up to 3,793 with 140 deaths.
