By Jacob Gallant | May 27, 2020 at 2:33 PM CDT – Updated May 27 at 5:38 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves delivered another COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday.
State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said 21 cases in Northeast Mississippi can be attributed to a funeral.
Reeves noted how difficult it can be to socially distance at a funeral, where hugs and other gestures can be commonplace. He compared the funeral to ohter outside events where it can be easier to distance yourself from others that could still be done safely.
The governor said his safer-at-home order, which runs through June 1, will be replaced with a safe return order.
“We are facing two ongoing emergencies. One is the public health crisis that we have been up here every day to talk about. That threat is real, dangerous, and deadly. It is here, and we must face it,” said Governor Reeves at the press briefing. “We also face an economic crisis in this country, the likes of which we have not seen since the great depression. While we have never seen a spike of serious cases in Mississippi, we have seen economic catastrophe. We have to address both.”
The Safe Return order will run from June 1 at 8 a.m. to Monday, June 15 at 8 a.m.
This will allow ballparks, movie theaters, libraries and museums to begin safely reopening.
Tuesday, he discussed the lessons he’s learned in the months of dealing with the pandemic. Now, as the state faces a potential second wave in the fall, Reeves said the key to getting through that without another shelter-in-place order and economic shutdown is through what he calls the “little things” — wearing masks, avoiding crowds, and staying at least six feet apart.
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