Mississippi will gradually reopen for business

Gov.

Tate Reeves says Mississippi will reopen for business, but it will be a gradual process.

WAPT NEWS BEGINS WITH BREAKINGNEWS.BREAKING NEWS GOVERNOR TATEREEVES IS HOLDING HIS DAILYCOVID-19 RESPONDS WITH MEMBERSOF THE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE.LET’S LISTEN IN IS AND CONTINUESTO BE A LONG PROCESS.WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TOFLIP THE LIGHT SWITCH FROM OFFTO ON JUST LIKE WE DID NOT FLIPTHE LIGHT SWITCH FROM ON TO OFF.WE ARE.WHATEVER WE DO IS GOING TO BECAUTIOUS AND IT’S GOING TO BEGRADUAL.HAVE TO BEGIN REOPENING BUT WEALSO HAVE TO DO IT IN A WAY THATIS SAFE FOR ALL.OUR PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM ISWORKING ON A PLAN TO HELP EASEUS BACK INTO AN OPEN ECONOMY.I HOPE THAT WE CAN TAKE ONE STEPNEXT WEEK JUST AS WE TOOK ONESTEP THIS WEEK.I’VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I WILLSAY IT AGAIN.THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A NONESSENTIAL BUSINESS TO THE OWNERSAND THE PEOPLE WHO DEPEND ONTHAT BUSINESS PROVIDE FOR THEIRFAMILIES.IT IS ESSENTIAL TO PROVIDE FOODSUPPLIES AND SHELTER FOR EVERYSINGLE ONE OF ITS EMPLOYEES ANDI UNDERSTAND THAT.WE CANNOT ELIMINATE LAYOFFS ORECONOMIC PROBLEMS.PEOPLE ARE CHANGING BEHAVIOR ONTHEIR OWN AND THAT IS GOING TOCONTINUE TO MAKE IT DIFFICULTFOR MANY SMALL BUSINESSES.WE CAN HOWEVER DO EVERYTHING INOUR POWER TO LIMIT THOSEINSTANCES WHERE AN ORDER FROMTHE GOVERNMENT PREVENTS AMISSISSIPPIAN FROM PROVIDING FORTHEMSELVES.HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE WITHTHAT AND WE ARE GOING TO GET OUTOF THAT SITUATION AS QUICKLY ASWE CAN IN A SAFE RESPONSIBLEWAY.TESTING AND TRACING ARECONTINUING TO COME ALONG VERYWELL.YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THAT THATHAS BEEN OUR STRATEGY WITHRESPECT TO THIS VIRUS FROM THEVERY BEGINNING.WE CALLED IT IDENTIFY ANDISOLATE AND EVEN DURING THESETIMES OF SHELTER IN PLACE.WE HAVE CONTINUED TO IDENTIFYAND ISOLATE WE HAVE ALSOCONTINUED TO BUILD CAPACITY ANDINCREASE VOLUMES O OFINDIVIDUALS AT THE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH THAT ARE WORKING ON THATPROJECT.THE FACT IS THAT MISSISSIPPIANSARE DOING THEIR PART TO FLATTENTHE CURVE.AND THE CURVE IS IN FACTFLATTENING.WE SEE MORE EVIDENCE OF THATEVERY DAY.TWO WEEKS AGO WE HAD A HUNDREDAND TWENTY EIGHT PATIENTS ONVENTILATORS.TODAY WE HAVE LESS THAN 80.THE SAME TREND IS TRUE FORPATIENTS IN THE ICU.THIS IS DURING THE PERIOD THATTHE NATIONAL EXPERTS PREDICTED.WE WOULD BE AT OUR PEAK RESOURCEUSE.NOW THOSE NUMBERS ARE SO LOW.THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TOFLUCTUATE GREATLY.THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THEY AREFAR LOWER THAN ANYONE ORIGINALLYPROJECTED.SO NATIONAL EXPERTS THOUGHT WEWOULD NEED ABOUT FOUR THOUSANDBEDS THIS WEEK.INSTEAD WE’RE USING LESS THAN400.LET THAT SINK IN.THAT IS BECAUSE YOUR EFFOR ORHAVING AN INCREDIBLE IMPACT.LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN WHAT YOUARE DOING AS MISSISSIPPIANS TOPROTECT YOURSELVES AND PROTECT.YOUR NEIGHBORS IS MAKING ADIFFERENCE.IN OUR STATE, WE’RE NOT SEEING AWIDESPREAD OUTBREAK.WE’RE FIGHTING SMALLER LOCALIZEDBATTLES.IT’S A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE.RIGHT NOW WE’RE TRYING TOPREVENT A DEADLY LOCALIZED BREADIN ONE NURSING HOME OR ONECHURCH.ONE WORKPLACE OR ONE OTHERBUILDING AT A TIME?NOT TO PREVENT OUR ENTIREHOSPITAL SYSTEM FROM BEINGOVERWHELMED.WHY?BECAUSE OF YOUR EFFORTS TO SLOWTHE SPREAD.MISSISSIPPIANS WORKING TOGETHERARE BEATING THIS VIRUS.NOW WE CANNOT STOP.IT ENTIRELY WITHOUT A VACCINE.WE CAN SLOW IT DOWN AND YOU HAVESLOWED IT DOWN.&YOU’VE BEATEN EVERY PROJECTION.YOU’VE SAVED COUNTLESS LIVES.IT HAS TAKEN A TREMENDOUS COST.YESTERDAY I HAD OUR UNEMPLOYMENTTEAM HERE TO TALK ABOUT THEPROGRESS THAT WE WERE MAKING.IT IS A HISTORIC RUSH.ON OUR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCESYSTEM THERE ARE MANY OF OURFELLOW MISSISSIPPIANS THAT AREHURTING.BETWEEN T HISTORIC FLOODINGHISTORIC TORNADOES HISTORICPANDEMIC AND HISTORIC SURGE INUNEMPLOYMENT.THERE’S A GREATER NEED FOR HELPIN MISSISSIPPI THAN AT ANY TIMEIN MODERN MEMORY.IF YOU HAVE ANY ABILITY TOSUPPORT YOUR FELLOWMISSISSIPPIANS, THERE IS A GREATNEED.I KNOW THAT IT CAN ALSO BE HARDTO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO GIVEFUNDS IN A WAY THAT YOU CAN BECONFIDENT.IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT.I WANT TO IDENTIFY ONE THISAFTERNOON.WE’VE DESIGNATED MISSISSIPPI’SOFFICIAL DISASTER FUND.IT’S A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THEMISSISSIPPI COMMISSION FORVOLUNTEER SERVICE AND THECOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FORMISSISSIPPI.A TEAM THERE IS IDENTIFYINGLOCAL ORGANIZATION DOING BOOTSON THE GROUND WORK.THEY’RE GETTING FOOD MEDICALSUPPLIES SOAP HAND SANITIZERSHELTER CLOTHING OR A LITTLEMONEY TO PEOPLE WHO DESPERATELYNEED IT JUST TO GET BY THE GOALIS TO QUICKLY FLEX RESOURCES TOTHOSE PLACES THAT NEED IT MOST.ARE GIVING TO THIS FUNDMISSISSIPPIANS CAN KNOW THAT THEMONEY WILL BE PUSHED TO THEHARDEST HIT QUICKLY ANDEFFICIENTLY.IT WILL SUPPORT LOCAL EFFORTS ONTHE GROUND.IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HELPINGBY DONATING EVEN A LITTLE BITYOU CAN GO TO FOR MISSISSIPPIDOT ORG AND CLICK ON THE ANDRECOVERY DONATE NOW BUTTON.AGAIN, IT IS FOR FO R,MISSISSIPPI DOT ORG, AND PLEASECLICK ON THE RESPONSE RECOVERYDONATE NOW BUTTON.I KNOW THERE ARE MANY PLACES YOUMAY CHOOSE TO DONATE TO HELPYOUR FELLOW MISSISSIPPIANS.THIS IS THE ONE THAT WE HAVEIDENTIFIED AS THE STATE’SOFFICIAL DISASTER FUND AND WEBELIEVE IT CAN HAVE A GREATIMPACT IF YOU’RE WILLING ANDABLE I’D STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOUTO CONSIDER MAKING A DONATIONTODAY.IF YOU CHOOSE ANOTHER PATH JUSTKNOW HOW MUCH YOUR FELLOWMISSISSIPPIANS APPRECIATE YOUAND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP UPSTEP UP AND HELP FINANCIALLY INTHESE VERY DESPERATE TIMES FORMANY OF OUR FELLOWMISSISSIPPIANS.AT THIS TIME, I’M GOING TO TURNIT OVER TO DR. DOBBS AND LET HIMGIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON COVID-19IN, MISSISSIPPI.THANK YOU GOVERNOR AS A QUICKUPDATE IN OUR CASE COUNT.WE HAVE A HUNDRED AND SEVENTYEIGHT NEW CASES TODAY REPORTEDWITH TEN ADDITIONAL DEATHSBRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OFCASES UP TO 4890 FOR WITH AHUNDRED NINETY THREE DEATHS.GOVERNOR REVIEWED THE COVIDVENTILATOR AND I SEE YOU COUNTSWE DO HAVE ON HAND 666 AVAILABLEVENTILATORS FOR 262 ICU BEDS.NEW INFORMATION WHICH YOU’VESEEN ON OUR WEBSITE ON LONG-TERMCARE OUTBREAKS.WE HAVE 74 ACTIVE OUTBREAKS ANDLONG-TERM CARE SETTINGS WITH ATOTAL NUMBER OF CASES OF 470 OFTHAT 470 A HUNDRED SIXTY THREEARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND 279 ARECAUCASIAN.WE’VE HAD 62 DEATHSUNFORTUNATELY ASSOCIATED WITHLONG-TERM CARE SETTINGS 21 ANDAFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND41 IN CAUCASIANS ONLY.QUICK THINGS JUST TO MENTION.I MEAN WE’RE CONTINUING TO WORKOUR PLAN AGGRESSIVELY WITH OURISOLATION AND CONTAINMENTSTRATEGY.WE’RE ADDING STAFF EVERY DAY.WE’RE UP TO ABOUT 200 RIGHT NOW.WE’LL CONTINUE TO WORK THATAGGRESSIVELY.WE ARE EXPANDING OUR OUTBREAKRESPONSE CAPABILITIES.AND SO YOU’LL SEE MOREINFORMATION ON THAT AS WE WORKON THAT ONLY LAST THING ISPLEASE DON’T LET OUR GUARD DOWN,YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FLATTENED THECURVE, BUT YOU KNOW, WE STILLHAVE A LOT OF CASES OUT THERE.WE’RE GOING TO HAVE MORE DEATHSAND THE BETTER THAT WE DOINDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELYTHE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT WE’REGOING TO GET THROUGH THIS IN ALOT BETTER SHAPE AND THENENCOURAGE, PLEASE EVERYONE WHENYOU’RE OUT AND ABOUT IN PUBLICIF YOU’RE GOING SHOPPING FORFOOD AND STUFF.WE DO ENCOURAGE YOU TO