The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors adopted Governor Tate Reeves’ Executive Order 1473 on Monday, which extends the shelter in place order until April 27.

Reeves passed the order on Friday. The original statewide shelter in place order was set to expire Monday. The Board did not pass a separate shelter in place order, only endorsed Reeves’ order and passed an order with the same language, so the Board amended its shelter-in-place order to align with the extension Reeves issued.

The statewide order does loosen restrictions on non-essential businesses by allowing retail sales at non-essential businesses, as long as they are conducted via drive-thru, curbside, or delivery services. The order also allows recreational boating at state parks, state lakes and reservoirs and fishing at those bodies of water. Mississippi beaches along the coast are allowed to reopen if local governments want them to, but people must continue to practice social distancing.

Along with adopting order 1473, the Board extended keeping skeleton crews on the job in county departments until Monday April 27 and ended hazard pay for county employees. County employees who are home from work will continue to be on administrative leave until the 27th. The hazard pay, which the county has provided for three weeks to employees still reporting to a physical workplace, has cost approximately $53,000 per week, for a total of approximately $150,000.

Board members noted that while Poplarville traffic has declined, the amount of traffic in Picayune has increased over the last week, with long drive-thru lines at restaurants.

The city of Poplarville’s shelter-at-home order remains in place, and will be discussed at the Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, said Mayor Rossie Creel. The city of Picayune shelter-at-home order is set to remain in place until it is amended, rescinded, or superseded by another proclamation or executive order or the end of the state of emergency, according to the order.

County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin noted that the federal plan for reopening recommends state leaders wait until two weeks after cases begin to decline before partially reopening. Cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi have not begun to decline yet, and new cases are still being reported daily. In a press conference held Monday afternoon, Governor Tate Reeves said it appears that Mississippi is entering a plateau instead of heading to a steep peak in the number of cases, so while there are still new cases daily the healthcare system is not in a position where COVID-19 patients have to be turned away.

In a separate matter, Emergency Management Director Danny Manley informed the Board that residents on Bouie Road had a large tree land on their home due to Sunday’s winds and there was significant tree damage near where McNeill Steephollow Road and Bradley Road meet. One Sheriff deputy’s car also suffered minor tree damage.

Read the Governor’s Executive Order

Executive Order 1473