NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Board of Aldermen approved an emergency measure Tuesday urging Natchez residents to stay at home except to shop for groceries, visit their health-care providers and tend to other vital needs while businesses deemed nonessential must close their doors as the coronavirus pandemic worsens.
Natchez police officers are being empowered to warn nonessential businesses to close and may arrest business operators who insist on continuing to stay open in violation of the order.
In responding to the global crisis, the board also voted to postpone next month’s municipal election to May.
While Natchez-Adams County has only two people confirmed to have COVID-19, strong steps are needed to ensure more don’t get the highly contagious disease, said Mayor Darryl Grennell.
Natchez “cannot wait on data to come in (showing more people are infected). We have to be proactive with this disease and the spread,” Grennell said in urging the six aldermen to approve the stay-at-home order he presented.
While the Board of Aldermen unanimously approved Grennell’s proposition with some revisions, they expressed qualms about it.
“I think we’re going too far,” said Alderman Billie Joe Frazier. “We don’t want to be a police state.”
Natchez’s stay-at-home resolution — similar to what communities are enacting throughout the country — takes effect 5 p.m. today.
The city board’s action Tuesday follows a curfew adopted by Adams County officials effective today for Natchez and the county to keep people inside daily from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. indefinitely. It does not apply to essential workers, such as health-care providers, grocery employees and critical manufacturing employees.
The city’s shelter-in-place declaration was discussed in sketchy details by Natchez aldermen during a teleconference meeting that had the mayor, board and city staffers remotely interacting while public listeners were also on the line. While a copy of the resolution was viewable online for the public, time was limited to study details of the four-page document.
In defining essential businesses, the board deemed them to include grocery stores, gas stations, doctors’ offices, hardware stores, plumbing/electrical companies, banks and others. However, they must adhere to federal coronavirus-prevention guidelines, such as sanitizing, social distancing and not having more than 10 people grouped together.
Nonessentials as defined by city officials include hair salons, bars and retail stores (unless they provide curbside service). Natchez churches and private clubs are to limit their gatherings to 10 or fewer people.
Parks are closed except walking trails. Outdoor exercising is encouraged but in groups of 10 or fewer.
In voting to delay Natchez’s elections that were approaching in two weeks April 7, the board agreed to move them to May 12 for the Democratic primary, June 2 for any runoffs and June 16 for the general election. The new mayor and Board of Aldermen are to take office July 1.
Grennell has been ill this past week and tested to determine whether he has the coronavirus, but no mention was made of that publicly during Tuesday’s meeting of the mayor and board.
According to the Adams County emergency management office, the county’s night-time curfew does not include essential workers, such as:
- Healthcare workers and caregivers
- Mental Health and Social Service workers
- Pharmacy employees
- Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail sales of food and beverage products
- Restaurant carryout and quick-serve food operations and food delivery employees
- Farm workers
- Electricity and Utility Industry Employees
- Critical Manufacturing Employees (medical supply chains, energy, transportation, food, chemical)
- Petroleum, Natural and Propane Gas Workers
- Transportation and Logistic Workers
- Communications and Information Technology Employees
- Financial Services and Banking Industry
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