Visiting the DMV amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Around 4 a.m. this morning, Mississippi residents started lining up in front of the DMV off Highway 67 in Harrison County.

The DMV does not open until 8 a.m., although many customers head out early with lawn chairs and water waiting for their turn.

The DMV was closed for three months due to COVID and has designated days to ensure social distancing. They’re enforcing customers visit the stations on days of the week according to the first letter of their last name.

The only exception is on Wednesdays which is designated for walk-ins. Wednesdays are also the only day for gun permits and has a time slot from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. designated for customers 65 and older.

Resident Rusty Kuhn said, “Well, I got here at 8 last week and the line was going all the way out to the grassy area out there and they came out, took our name and phone numbers and told us to go back to our cars. So, we waited most of the day and still didn’t get seen. Hopefully today we can get everything taken care of.”

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is working on new strategies to make the DMV more efficient with shorter wait times.