NATCHEZ, Miss. – Natchez physician Blane Mire told city officials today that Natchez-Adams County has more than the three people officially reported to be sick with the coronavirus. He expressed fears there will be “a huge upsurge” in the coming weeks.
“We have not even approached the peak in Natchez,” Mire said in meeting with Mayor Darryl Grennell and city aldermen
The Board of Aldermen on Tuesday enacted a “stay-at-home” directive initiated by the mayor urging Natchez residents to restrain their outside activities and being around other people. Certain businesses deemed nonessential were told to close their doors to the public while others were directed to limit to 10 the number of customers they let inside their businesses..
“We’re trying to prevent a spike (of COVID-19) from occurring in our little community,” said Grennell, after urging aldermen today not to water down the stay-at-home measure.
While Mire acknowledged “people are panicking and are scared” already, he described Natchez’ situation today in unnerving details:
The three Natchez-Adams County coronavirus patients listed by the Mississippi Department of Health is an inaccurate number. There are many more. Mire said he alone has two coronavirus patients and is awaiting test results on 40 more. There are three coronavirus patients on hospital ventilators at Merit Health Natchez, which only has a limited number of the breathing machines. All the hospital’s beds reserved for such cases are full with coronavirus patients or those suspected of having it. There are scores of people in Natchez with COVID-19 but displaying no symptoms, which can be very mild and also similar to hayfever in this allergy season.
Mire urged people to practice the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines and adhere to the city’s stay-at-home directive to curb the highly infectious disease that has overtaken the world.
“The only way to confine and slow the spread of this is to have local constraints on contact,” Mire told the Natchez mayor and board in a teleconference meeting that had the city officials interacting remotely by telephones and computers to avoid being together in close quarters.
The emergency measure adopted by the six city aldermen Tuesday has city officials “recommending” Natchez residents stay at home except to shop for groceries, visit their health-care providers and tend to other vital needs. The stay-at-home declaration does have provisions for defined essential businesses and services – such as grocery stores and plumbers – to remain operating if they adhere to the limitations on person-to-person contact and crowds as recommended by the federal CDC. Essentials do include restaurants that offer take-out food only.
Certain Natchez businesses deemed nonessential must close their doors to customers. Natchez police may warn businesses in violation of the directive and charge repeat offenders with a misdemeanor punishable by a fine. However, business violators classified as nonessential can obtain a waiver from the Natchez Police Department to continue operating if they adhere to the CDC guidelines.
The four-page stay-at-home declaration can be read on the city of Natchez’ website:
I work at the Stine in Natchez and since the stay at home order it has been like black Friday everyday. Some people just come to sit in our patio sets and play on their phones. I have no doubt it’s about to get bad, no one is taking it seriously at all.