Harrison County Board of Supervisors meet to discuss Coronavirus precautions

South Mississippi leaders are keeping a close eye on the Coronavirus threat and latest developments.

Media, law enforcement, and others watched Monday’s Harrison County Board of Supervisors meeting get underway via livestream just outside the meeting space as supervisors cited social distancing concerns. Mayors were the first to address supervisors at the meeting. Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes said, “They just asked for an update on where we were. There were concerns about a curfew, whether it be 24 hours or an evening curfew. No decisions were made at this point.”

One decision that was made Monday was limiting beach gatherings to ten or fewer people. Mayor Hewes said, “That was a concern. We want people to get out and enjoy the outdoors but on an individual basis. Get some fresh air. Get some sunshine. Do not gather in groups. Even after what we did Friday, we saw people get together for parties, for crawfish boils. That does not help the situation; that encourages the spread of the virus.”

It’s a delicate balancing act, especially as Coast restaurants and other local business owners have to shut down or work on a limited basis. Biloxi Mayor Andrew ‘FoFo’ Gilich echoed Mayor Hewes’ assessment that no curfew is needed, at least at this point. “These are extraordinary times. It’s not business as usual, but you can take care of business, whether by phone, by email, by website. For the most part, with people shutting down the restaurants and the bars, it’s working.”

“It’s not just the city of Biloxi. It is 10,000, 11,000 folks taking hits, too. For the most part, these folks are planning on reopening, taking proactive steps so that when the green flag goes up, they’re ready to go,” said Mayor Gilich.

While no decision was made at Monday’s meeting to put a curfew in effect, a lot of that could depend on whether or not residents adhere to the guidelines in the wake of this threat. “I suspect as we’ve seen things change on an hourly basis that we may have to react. We’re monitoring closely.  As you saw, we took some action on Friday. There was a document that had folks thinking we were an immediate curfew around the clock. We’re not there yet, but as people continue to ignore the recommendations to keep distance, to shelter in place, to not get out, this virus continues to spread.”