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Governor Orders Limited Gatherings, Declares Most Businesses 'Essential,' Supersedes Local Safety Efforts
Gov. Tate Reeves signed an executive order early this evening expanding the bans on large public gatherings in Mississippi, while declaring most types of businesses “essential” and, thus, exempt from its provisions.
www.jacksonfreepress.com
Based on a preliminary reading of the executive order tonight, the Jackson Free Press has identified two primary categories of “non-essential” businesses to which the gathering limits might apply. The first is hygiene and fitness providers, including all salons, gyms, tanning services, massage parlors and sporting stores. The second is non-food-service entertainment venues, like movie theaters and bookstores. Some limited retail outlets, including boutique clothing stores and furniture stores, also qualify as non-essential.
#Department Stores, Offices, Factories Among Exempt Businesses
#The order exempts several broad categories of businesses including department stores, as well as "offices" and any factories or manufacturing operations.
DOCUMENT
Executive Order: Mississippi's COVID-19 Response
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#"From the date of this Executive Order until April 17, 2020, Mississippi residents shall avoid social and other non-essential gatherings in groups of more than 10 people where the gatherings [sic] in a single space at the same time where individuals are in close proximity to each other," the order states. "This does not apply to normal operations of locations like airports, medical and healthcare facilities, retail shopping including grocery and department stores, offices, factories and other manufacturing facilities or any Essential Business or Operation as determined by and identified below."
#The order also requires restaurants, bars and other dining venues to reduce dine-in services to 10 people at once, or to transition into offering drive-thru, carryout or delivery services. This is a vastly more liberal provision for restaurants than many states have instituted, as well as some towns in Mississippi, which have encouraged restaurants to end dine-in service altogether.
#The order states: “From the date of this Executive Order until April 17, 2020, restaurants, bars, or other dining establishments shall suspend dine-in services unless [sic] able to reduce capacity to allow no more than 10 people to be gathered in a single space at the same time where individuals are [sic] in seated or otherwise in close proximity to each other.”
Reeves' executive order makes it clear that he is, eight days later, following the lead of President Donald Trump's March 16 call for "Americans to slow the spread of COVID-19 over a 15 day period by avoiding social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people, using drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options at restaurants and bars, and avoiding visitation at nursing homes, among other steps."
