NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County officials are drawing up plans to discourage the general public from entering the Adams County Courthouse if they can do county business other ways during the coronavirus crisis.
At a meeting Monday of the Adams County Board of Supervisors, Chancery Clerk Brandi Lewis pointed to the need “to decrease our exposure to any potential COVET-19.”
She and County Administrator Joe Murray suggested placing dropboxes outside the courthouse for filing court documents and also posting by building entrances useful information about alternative ways to pay taxes or perform other tasks routinely done inside the center of county government. In addition to courtrooms, it houses the offices of the Adams County chancery clerk, circuit clerk, election commissioners, tax collector and tax assessor.
Adams County on Monday had 19 patients confirmed to have the coronavirus while one long-term care facility here has an “outbreak” of the respiratory disease, according to statistics compiled by the Mississippi Department of Health.
“It’s a scary time for everybody,” said Adams county Supervisor Warren Gaines.
The five-member Board of Supervisors conducted its Monday meeting via a telephone conference call that had participants and listeners separated and remotely interacting by voice.
During the meeting, Natchez-Adams County’s chief industrial developer said local industries appear to be running at full steam despite the coronavirus stay-home shutdown that’s curtailed many business activities. “Our manufacturing base is holding up fairly well. Most are in full production and operations,” said Natchez Inc. Executive Director Chandler Russ.
Most manufacturers have been declared essential and are exempt from the stay-at-home orders imposed by local and state governments if they follow federal guidelines to curb the coronavirus spread.
Russ mentioned such Adams County industries as von Drehle, which makes toilet paper, Great River Industries, which produces steel tanks and pipes, and CoreCivic, which imprisons immigrants detained by the federal government as they seek asylum in the United States.
Russ noted CoreCivic’s 2,230-bed prison outside Natchez is Adams County’s largest private employer with about 430 workers. “They are jobs that we need now and on the other side of this (COVET-19) pandemic,” Russ said.
Concerns have been raised that the Adams County prison’s detainees could spread the virus among themselves and to the local community. Russ expressed confidence CoreCivic is adhering to federal guidelines to ensure that does not happen as it continues holding immigrants.
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