Skip to main content

User account menu

  • Log in
  • Rss
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Shopping cart 0
Cart

Search

Search
Home SCT Online
  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
  • Most Read
    • Most Read This Week
    • Most Read This Month
    • Most Read This Year
    • Most Read All Time
  • Most Recent
  • More News
    • Cartoons
    • Crime
    • Documents
    • Politics
    • Public Notices
    • Submit News
    • Videos
  • Sports
  • E-Edition
    • Archives
    • Magazine E-Edition
    • Newspaper E-Edition
    • Special Section E-Editions
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Comments
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Polls
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Advertising
    • Ad Staff
  • Calendar
  • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Social
    • Anniversaries/Births
    • Schools
    • Engagements/Weddings
    • Submit an Anniversary
    • Submit a Birth
    • Submit an Engagement
    • Submit School News
    • Submit a Wedding
  • Subscribe
  • State

Domain menu for SCT online (main)

  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
  • Most Read
  • Most Recent
  • More News
    • Cartoons
    • Crime
    • Documents
    • Politics
    • Public Notices
    • Submit News
    • Videos
  • Sports
  • E-Edition
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Comments
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Polls
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Advertising
  • Calendar
  • Obituaries
  • Social
    • Anniversaries/Births
    • Schools
    • Engagements/Weddings
    • Submit an Anniversary
    • Submit a Birth
    • Submit an Engagement
    • Submit School News
    • Submit a Wedding
  • Subscribe
  • State

Business leaders asked to require face coverings of customers, employees

By Tim Beeland , READ MORE > 61,526 Reads
On Thu, 07/09/2020 - 11:48 AM

 

A standing room crowd of more than 70 masked business leaders gathered in the board room at Forest City Hall last Wednesday to find out what can be done to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

“Thank you for coming, I’m proud of the numbers,” Mayor Nancy Chambers said as she opened the meeting. “What we are trying to do today is talk with all of you and give you some suggestions of some things you can do in your businesses that are tried and proven to have helped us in the past with the spread of the virus and to see if we can all work together to do some of these things before we get some mandates coming down from the state.”

Forest Fire Chief and city Emergency Management Director Jason Tillman said he also was impressed with the numbers in attendance at the meeting and assured the crowd they were following the proper safety guidelines. “As long as everyone is wearing a mask — you and I are talking, and we are six feet from each other, your exposure is very low,” he said.

Tillman said he was concerned that with the spike of the virus in other areas of the country the same could soon be seen in this area if preventative measures are not taken.

“We are seeing an uptick again,” Tillman said. “What it looks like to me is exactly what it looked like in March and April. We are seeing a slow increase and all of sudden that slow increase just takes off and then we have brand new cases everywhere. What I’m seeing right now is this is just spread out which means we are having community transmission, but we’re not beyond putting the breaks on this thing. We’re not beyond controlling it. We want to be proactive and get in front of it. The leaders of this community, you, need to lead by example.”

To do that, Tillman asked three things of those in attendance. 

1. Wear a mask.

2. Ask people who come in your business to wear a mask.

3. Have your employees wear a mask.

“What we are going to do is get ahead of this,” Tillman said. “We  are going to voluntarily say ‘I’ll wear a mask, my employees will wear a mask, people coming into my store, my business, will wear a mask.’”

Tillman said he understood the difficulty in making that requirement of employees and customers, but added, “What’s more important? We will have more people die. It is going to happen. It doesn’t matter to you unless they are close to you. It’s kind of impersonal unless somebody in your family gets sick, somebody in your family is suffering, or unfortunately somebody in your family dies.

“We are going to ask that you as business owners strongly encourage your people and your customers to wear masks. We know that masks will work. We can get ahead of this right now as a community.” 

Lackey Memorial Hospital CEO Sydney Sawyer, RN, agreed and warned that flu season is right around the corner and he fears the hospital will be overwhelmed.

“At least twice a year we get full with flu cases and we have to send patients other places. I will tell you that this year we’re not going to have a place to send those patients,” Sawyer said. “My fear has been from the beginning that you show up at my emergency room and I can’t transfer you and I don’t have the means to keep you alive. COVID has changed everything. That’s what this meeting is about. It scares me to death.”

“Let me tell you something about this disease,” he added. “Your life is wrecked if you get this disease. It doesn’t matter that you don’t die, your lungs are wrecked. We don’t have a lot of people dying — thank God — but we could not stop the spread until the governor said you have to wear a mask.”

In a passionate plea the CEO stressed that COVID-19 is not a hoax. This is very, very, very serious,” he said, “and people that make light of this, are wrong, they are wrong. When you read stuff  — and I see it all the time on Facebook — people blowing this off. Blow it off all you want, but its going to affect you in some way. It is going to affect somebody in your family before it’s over with. We can stop it. We can stop it here.”

Sawyer said Scott County ranked 26th in the nation per capita in the growth of coronavirus prior to the governor’s mandate that residents wear face coverings in public.  “We dropped out of the top ten in the state within two or three weeks (after the mandate)” he said.

“This is a terrifying disease that for some reason everybody is making light of, it is a pandemic and it is affecting this entire planet and it ain’t going away,” Sawyer concluded. “What I want is for y’all to take this thing serious. I don’t like wearing this thing (mask) any more than anybody else does. But if we don’t, were going to get told to about October, maybe before that, maybe September and there are going to be a lot more sick people by then.”

Mayor Chambers wrapped up the meeting  asking those in attendance to type up a message and put it on their front door requiring masks before entry. “If they don’t have a mask, tell them go to go get a mask,” she said. “They’ll either go get a mask or go somewhere else. If they choose to go somewhere else I don’t know where that’s going to be because if we are all together on this they will put the mask on. It’s the least we can do.”

The mayor added, “I am fully prepared that before fall is over with I will be issuing an executive order, unless we get this handled now.”

As of Monday’s daily update from the Mississippi State Department of Health Scott County had recorded 773 positive cases of COVID-19 since March 11 and 15 deaths. That is a gain of 40 positive cases since the same time last week and zero additional deaths. Statewide positive numbers have spiked from 25,567 last week to 31,257 this week with 55 additional deaths.

 

‹ PreviousNext ›

Social

Community Laments Violent Siege/Insurrection on National Capitol

We are sorry to learn of the transition of Mr. Courtney “Trell” Jones on Tuesday, January 5th.  … READ MORE

Sebastopol News
Pleasant Hill News
Ringgold News
Forest News
Snow Bunnies

Sports

Sports Column: Drew Brees leaves an unforgettable Saints legacy. The story started in Jackson.

You’ve probably heard this said many different ways by many different football players, coaches and… READ MORE

In women’s hoops, we suddenly have a real Mississippi rivalry
His name is Carson, he lives in Raymond, and he will officiate the national championship
All Region team rosters heavy with Scott County athletes
Bobcats, Rebels advance in 2020 MHSAA playoffs
first buck

Sign Up for Notifications of Local Breaking News

Start E-mail NotificationsStop E-mail NotificationsStart Mobile NotificationsStop Mobile Notifications

Obituaries:

Bettye J. Gorrie

A private service for Ms. Betty J. Gorrie was held at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at… READ MORE

Lucy Horton Mitchell
Alice Faye Boykin
Jerry “Pop” Cooper
Marion Dwight Myatt
Jerry C. Harris

Most Recent

COVID-19 spreads at the Capitol, quarantine orders expected for some senators

Some members of the Mississippi Senate are expected to receive a quarantine notice from the… READ MORE

MDE Suspends Policies on A-F Grading, 3rd Grade Reading, and High School Assessments for 2020-21 School Year
Central District multimodal grants announced
Teacher pay raise bill passes Mississippi Senate
MSDH partnering with Mississippi Public Librarys to offer free radon home test kits
56th Annual Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo Kicks-Off January 22

Most Read News Article

  • Week
  • Month
  • Year
  • All Time

Continued assistance for unemployed workers announced

On December 27, the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020 (Continued Assistance… READ MORE

Wicker Hails $2.377 Million Award for UMMC Connected Care Pilot Program
Governor Tate Reeves Announces Additional 20,000 New Vaccine Appointments
Charter schools receive taxpayer dollars. Should their board members follow state ethics laws?
Mask and Social Distancing order extended by governor
Vaccines continue with few problems scheduling appointments in Forest

Indianola Doctor Who Suffered Effects of COVID Among the First to Get Vaccine at Clinic

When Dr. Eddie Donahoe heard that a COVID-19 vaccine was on the way and had the potential to be… READ MORE

Continued assistance for unemployed workers announced
Governor Tate Reeves Makes Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine
Wicker Hails $2.377 Million Award for UMMC Connected Care Pilot Program
Former Legislator Nolan Mettetal dies at 75
Hosemann wants to delay 2021 session as COVID-19 spikes. House leaders remain hesitant.

Governor issues order to limit attendance at extracurricular events

Scott County and Forest Municipal School students have been back in the classroom on a staggered or… READ MORE

Positive coronavirus numbers slow as Scott County surpasses 1,000 mark
Business leaders asked to require face coverings of customers, employees
COVID-19 delayed bridge work to resume
Statewide two-week mask mandate announced by Governor Reeves
State close to the tipping point when it comes to available hospital beds

Governor issues order to limit attendance at extracurricular events

Scott County and Forest Municipal School students have been back in the classroom on a staggered or… READ MORE

Positive coronavirus numbers slow as Scott County surpasses 1,000 mark
Business leaders asked to require face coverings of customers, employees
COVID-19 delayed bridge work to resume
Statewide two-week mask mandate announced by Governor Reeves
State close to the tipping point when it comes to available hospital beds

 

sctonline this week

 

Opinion:

SALTER: With Democrat trifecta in Washington, Republicans stand at an uneasy crossroads

OPINION column by: Sid Salter

Wicker: Big Tech Has Crossed a Red Line
Bills filed to address state testing in public schools
SALTER: Wicker’s certification vote showed character, courage and loyalty to the Constitution
Observations as the new year begins
Unacceptable in our democracy

Weddings and Engagements

Miss Ware, Mr. Whittington to exchange vows

Mr. and Mrs. Steve and Cindy Ware of Lake and Ms. Shelia Ware of Sebastopol proudly announce the… READ MORE

Miss Cox, Mr. Maner To Wed
Miss Atkison, Mr. Hendershot to wed
IT’S A GIRL!
Smith, Kennedy wedding plans announced
Van Norman, Miles to wed

special section click ad

 

sctonline archive

Copyright 2020 • The Scott County Times
311 Smith Ave. • Forest, MS 39074 •
601-469-2561

Emmerich Newspapers proudly serve the following Mississippi communities:

Click on the city name to visit its website.

ACKERMAN • CARROLLTON • CHARLESTON • CLARKSDALE • COLUMBIA • EUPORA • FOREST • GREENVILLE • GREENWOOD • GRENADA • HATTIESBURG • JACKSON • KOSCIUSKO • INDIANOLA • LOUISVILLE • MAGEE • MENDENHALL • McCOMB • NEWTON • PETAL • QUITMAN • SENATOBIA • WINONA • YAZOO CITY

As well as: DUMAS, Ark. • TALLULAH, La • FRANKLINTON, La.

For more information on how to extend your advertising message to these communities, click here.