NATCHEZ, Miss. –Restaurants in Natchez must remain closed for inside dining even though Gov. Tate Reeves decided Monday to allow patrons to dine in if eateries adhere to strict measures to curb the coronavirus’ spread.
The city’s six-week-old ban on restaurants opening their dining rooms should remain in place through May, said Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell. They can only serve drive-through, pickup or delivery customers.
While Reeves’ easing of the state’s quarantine order goes into effect, Grennell said Natchez’ stricter mandates are needed to combat the worsening rate of people sickened by the highly contagious respiratory disease.
“Our order will stay in place until May 31. Our numbers are too high here in Adams County,” Grennell said.
At least 149 people in Natchez-Adams County have been sickened by the novel coronavirus and nine have died since March 11, according to the Mississippi Department of Health’s count Monday. That’s an increase from two weeks ago, when four Adams County residents had died from it and 70 were confirmed to have had it.
Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford cited statistics Monday indicating about 80 of the nearly 150 people who’ve had COVID-19 here have recovered.
The Board of Aldermen last week extended Natchez’ restrictions on public gatherings through May but to allow some nonessential businesses to reopen as the global coronavirus continues to sicken more people and cripple the economy.
The city order – which includes a requirement for people in stores to wear facial coverings — continues measures implemented in March encouraging people to stay home isolated from others to deter the spread of the virus. However, certain businesses deemed nonessential were allowed last week to open their doors for customers but with various requirements.
Among them: Businesses must require employees and customers to wear masks covering their mouth and nose; limit the number of store patrons to half of their building’s capacity; ensure they’re at least six feet apart; require employees to frequently sanitize hands and surfaces and offer hand sanitizers to customers.
Natchez restaurants and bars, however, must continue to close their doors for sit-down dining but be allowed to serve take-out food.
Churches and funerals should also not have more than 10 people gathered at one time.
The governor decided Monday to let people gather in Mississippi parks with limitations, but Natchez parks must remain closed except for walking trails, as directed by the city board-adopted order. The city park’s entrance gate was open but with a sign saying park is closed – “enter at your own risk.”
Barber shops and hair salons still aren’t allowed to open, as directed by both the state and city orders currently in place.
Mississippi cities and counties can enact COVID-19 lockdowns stricter than the state if they don’t impact essential services.
The Adams County Board of Supervisors on Monday extended the county’s curfew through May to prohibit people being out of their homes from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. It does not apply to essential workers, such as health-care providers, grocery employees and critical manufacturing employees.
While the various mandates and restrictions imposed since March seem strict, they’re not as severe as what city officials did in past Natchez epidemics and quarantines, according to historical accounts.
During the 1871 yellow fever epidemic, “Natchez became virtually abandoned, as a strict quarantine was enforced and the epidemic dragged on into late October, ruining business,” wrote Aaron Anderson, author of Builders of a New South: Merchants, Capital and the Remaking of Natchez, 1865-1914.
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