Dining options in Scott County will be improving in the coming days as restaurants begin to reopen, but at the same time high school seniors have to continue to wonder about graduation and their future.
At Forest High School seniors were lined up in front of the school last week, in the form of yard signs anyway, as their live counterparts drove by to snag their likeness. The yard signs are just one more effort by Forest and Scott County schools to add a little something special for graduating seniors in a time of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week as shuttered businesses in the state slowly reopen to customers, Gov. Tate Reeves, in his Monday afternoon update, announced that he would be revising his “Safer at Home” order to allow restaurants to being indoor and patio dining service on Thursday, as well as reopening parks for limited activities.
Restaurants must observe strict guidelines and will be limited to 50 percent capacity indoors and out. In parks the public will be allowed to gather in groups of 20 or less. Forest Mayor Nancy Chambers said Tuesday that the walking trail at Gaddis Park is open but the playgrounds will remain closed due to the 20 person limit.
Chambers said the board of alderman would be discussing numerous COVID-19 topics at their regular scheduled meeting Tuesday evening which was after this newspaper went to press. The mayor, who was on a conference call with the governor and mayors from around Mississippi on Monday, said “basically what he (Reeves) has done is open up in-house dining and outside dining to 50 percent of capacity. We will do that.” She added that youth league ball teams can practice but they can not play games because that would require more than 20 people be present.
Chambers said that there is a possibility that the Splash Pad at Gaddis Park could reopen for private parties in the near future. “If we can work the splash pad for parties only, so that we can control the numbers to 20 or less, it would give the kids an outlet,” the mayor said, and that it would likely be a topic of discussion at the board meeting.
Chambers also reminded residents that the Forest curfew of 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. remains in effect as well as the ban of children under 16 years of age inside businesses.
“There is no denying that we have a problem here,” Chambers said, “and how to deal with it, we are working on. This virus is not going to go away, we can’t end it, we’ve just got to figure out how to manage it.”
Lackey Memorial Hospital CEO Sydney Sawyer, RN, said Tuesday that he had just found out that two patients who had previously been transferred from Lackey to University Medical Center in Jackson had died. One Saturday and the other on Monday bringing the Scott County death toll to four. As of Friday, the State Department of Health was reporting Scott County with a total of 438 COVID-19 cases and six deaths.
Sawyer said that a government mandate that masks be worn in public in Scott County is not out of the picture after a visit from State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs last week.
“All of our thoughts are that we are not quite as ready to open up as other places,” Sawyer said. “We are going be asking people to wear masks or the state will be mandating people to wear masks in public buildings.”
Sawyer also said the Lackey testing facility and clinics are still getting a lot of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. “We certainly have not gone down,” he said. “Over the weekend we had 53 positives which was up a little bit from the previous weekends. As of Monday, we’ve tested 855 people. We have had four that went home yesterday from the hospital. We have eight in the hospital today, six positive and two pending.”
Sawyer provided some statistics for Scott County based on race and the probability of contracting the virus. He said the statistics were strictly based on Lackey’s data, and not the state, but through last thursday Hispanics had one in 70 percent chance of contracting COVID-19; blacks one in 101 percent chance, and whites one in 213 percent. He said that these percentages were based on people that “we can identify as one of the three races.”
In conclusion the CEO relayed a message he had discussed with an associate recently. “You wear shoes to protect your feet, why not wear a mask to protect your lungs,” adding, “Really and truly if you wash your hands before you go into a business, maintain your six feet between other people, wear your mask, and when you come out wash your hands or use hand sanitizer, you almost have no chance of getting this thing.”
In a new executive order that Gov. Reeves signed Monday, he outlined the next steps of a measured, strategic plan following state health officials recommendations to “protect lives while restoring Mississippians’ livelihoods.” The executive order amends his Safer At Home order, which he signed over a week ago and still remains in effect until Monday, May 11. The new guidelines go into effect at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 7 and continue until 8:00 a.m. on Monday, May 11, which is when the Safer At Home order is scheduled to end.
“I don’t want to wait if there are steps that we believe we can safely take now to ease the burden on Mississippians fighting this virus. There are thousands around the state that are set to close their doors for good. They cannot hold on much longer. I hope that this will not only be some much-needed relief for those restaurant employees but also provide for some joy for the people of Mississippi,” Reeves said.
In this latest executive order, the governor lays out social distancing guidelines to begin the process of slowly and safely reopening restaurants and allowing outdoor recreation, including:
Restaurants:
• Before in-house dining can resume, the entire restaurant and bar must be deep-cleaned, disinfected, and sanitized top to bottom.
• All restaurants and bars are expected to take every step necessary to implement the regulations, orders, and guidance from the Mississippi State Department of Health and CDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• All employees will be screened daily at the beginning of their shifts, including asking whether they have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days and have they had a fever in the last 48 hours.
• Cloth masks must be provided to all employees who come in direct contact with customers. Employees are required to wear that mask throughout their shift.
• All employees must be provided training on how to limit the spread of COVID-19.
• No more than 50% seating capacity in both indoor and outdoor dining areas, and floor plans must be updated to ensure at least 6 feet between each group. Party sizes will be limited to no more than 6 people per table.
• Bars and bar areas that do no offer food services are to remain closed.
• Minimizing person-to-person contact through technology, like mobile or online reservations and contact-less payment, is encouraged.
• Customers will be screened upon entry. Restaurants and bars must post signage at each entrance stating no customer with a fever or COVID-19 symptoms are allowed in.
• Cafeteria-style buffets and food stations that are manned by restaurant staff are allowed with appropriate barriers to limit contact. Self-service buffets, food stations, and drink stations are prohibited.
• All restaurants and bars must place hand sanitizer at all entrances, hostess stations, in/near bathrooms, and at cashier stations.
Outdoor Recreation:
• Gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people for indoor activities and a maximum of 20 people for outside activities.
• Parks can open to the public from 9:00AM - 7:00PM for outdoor recreation under guidance from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks and local authorities, with people following social distancing guidelines such as 6 feet separation. Outdoor recreation activities, such as swimming, are also allowed within those same hours.
