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  • Natchez board discuss police firing, visitor center leases in closed-door session

    Natchez board discuss police firing, visitor center leases in closed-door session

    NATCHEZ. Miss. – The mayor and Board of Aldermen closed the public out of their meeting for more than three hours Thursday to discuss the firing of a Natchez Police Department employee and new leases for occupants of the Natchez Visitor Reception Center.

     

    The police employee’s name or circumstances were not discussed when the board emerged in open session to approve NPD Chief Walter Armstrong’s request for the termination.

     

    After the closed session, aldermen also voted to authorize Mayor Darryl Grennell to sign leases with Natchez Pilgrimage Tours and the Mississippi Department of Transportation to continue occupying the visitors center.  MDOT and NPT use the facility to welcome tourists, provide information and sell tour tickets.

     

    The board also directed the mayor to work out terms for the city’s tourism agency — the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission and Visit Natchez — to stay at the visitors center. The National Park Service is in the process of taking over the city-owned facility.

     

    While state law allows government boards to have closed-door meetings about personnel and property leases, no explanation was given in open session why the public could not be privy to the board’s discussions about the visitors center leases.

     

    Grennell and aldermen also discussed personnel in the city clerk’s office but provided no other details to the public.

     

    The mayor and aldermen held their Thursday meeting by telephones and the Internet using the GoToMeeting app, which has been their mode to meet remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic flared in March.

     

    In a 30-minute session before the public was disconnected, the board voted to hire a new firefighter and a clerk for the Duncan Park tennis courts. Aldermen imposed a hiring freeze earlier this spring because of the city’s pandemic-induced revenue shortage. However, a new firefighter is much needed because six have left the Natchez Fire Department in the past three months, according to city officials.

     

    A tennis court attendant is needed to ensure players pay the required fees for using the park facility, said city Recreation Director Fay Minor. She noted three tennis court employees have recently quit — including longtime tennis instructor Henry Harris.

  • Murry ending decade-long stint as Adams County administrator

    NATCHEZ. Miss. – Adams County Administrator Joe Murray is retiring after serving nearly 30 years in government service.
    “It’s time to do something else. I’ve got other options,” said Murray, who previously worked for the state Department of Revenue before becoming Adams County administrator in 2010.
    He’ll stay for a couple of more months while the Board of Supervisors looks for a replacement. “It’s not going to be an easy task. Joe has got a lot of knowledge of what’s going on in county government,” said county board President Ricky Gray.
    Murray was hired by the board as county administrator in 2010 but left briefly and returned in 2011. He’s been overseeing the daily operations of county government, including a $30 million annual budget and about 230 employees under the governance of the five-member county Board of Supervisors.
    The board on Monday decided to begin the search for a new administrator with hopes one will be hired to work under Murray’s tutelage before he formally retires in September, Gray said.
    Murray, who turns 54 this year, has worked long enough with 30 years in government to receive a full pension from Mississippi’s public retirement program. He said his work is enjoyable, but it requires long days that are wearing on him.
    Three new county supervisors took office in January after unseating incumbents,  but Murray said he’s been pondering retirement for a couple of years. “It’s not a knee-jerk decision. I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he said.
    —
    The Board of Supervisors on Monday ended the night-time curfew that’s been in place for Natchez-Adams County since March, when the coronavirus pandemic flared up. The curfew had limited people’s public outings on city/county streets and roads between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. While people couldn’t be wandering or gathering together outside after 11 p.m., they were allowed to travel to and from legally operating businesses, including Magnolia Bluffs Casino and other Natchez-Adams County nightspots.
    The local curfew began in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus and was not precipitated by the protests that have erupted in recent weeks throughout the country.
    County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford reported most of Adams County’s “active” COVID-19 cases are in the private Adams County Correctional Center. Of the 18 people in Adams County currently sickened by the coronavirus, 15 are in the prison, Bradford told the Board of Supervisors. The 2,232-bed facility, located about 12 miles from Natchez, holds refugees detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
    All total, Adams County has had 226 residents sickened by the contagious respiratory disease and 17 die from it since March, according to the state Department of Health’s latest statistics Monday. That’s up from two weeks ago, when 15 people were confirmed to have died among the 200 Adams County residents confirmed to have been infected.
    Health Department statistics show 10 of those who’ve died were in Adams County nursing homes. Of the 226 total in Adams County confirmed to have been sickened by the coronavirus, 139 are black, 55 are white and the rest are other races or unknown.
    Bradford, who’s been helping manage the local response to the contagion, said Adams County’s rate of infection is not as severe as other areas. “Our numbers are doing great . . . compared to other counties,” he said.
    However, he stressed people should continue to wear masks in public, limit person-to-person contact, avoid large crowds and wash hands frequently. “The time now is not to get complacent,” he said.
    Mississippi Health Officer Thomas Dobbs expressed concerns about more COVID-19 cases stirred by the increased interaction of people since the state’s stay-at-home directives have been lifted. “It’s likely to get worse in the future,” Dobbs said Monday at his daily public briefing with Gov. Tate Reeves.
    Adams County supervisors will distribute COVID-19 masks to local residents on June 27. They’ll be given out at specified drive-through locations until noon that Saturday much like was done in May. For more information, call the county Emergency Management office: 601 442-7021
  • Board approves hiring student workers to help Natchez Public Works

    Board approves hiring student workers to help Natchez Public Works

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – The city board agreed Tuesday to hire 10 students to work for the understaffed Natchez Public Works Department during the summer break. Up to $30,000 is allocated to pay the short-term workers.

     

    Public Works Supervisor Justin Dollar said the department is short about five employees and also without the 10 or so jail inmates that have provided labor in the past. The temporary student workers’ duties will include watering plants and picking up litter.

     

    The Board of Aldermen last month had imposed a general hiring freeze because of revenue shortfalls caused by the COVID-induced economic recession.

     

    The board on Tuesday did suspend one city public works employee and fired another after holding a closed-door meeting to discuss the two unnamed workers and reasons for booting them.

     

    In other action, the board voted to move forward in seeking prospective contractors to install a swimming pool cover and heating system for the Natchez-Adams County Aquatic Center. State and federal funds are being provided for this. Bleachers, lockers and a water-chlorination system are also being installed. Previous estimates had the pool improvements costing up to $268,000.

     

    The public swimming pool at Liberty Park opened in June 2018 but closed during the winter months.

     

    Aldermen on Tuesday also appropriated $25,000 for conducting the city elections that began June 2 with the Democratic party primary, resume with a June 23 runoff and conclude July 14 with the general election for a new mayor and board. Aldermen until now had not allocated money to pay pollworkers and for other election expenses, said outgoing Mayor Darryl Grennell. The money is coming from funds previously set aside for the mayor and aldermen’s travel expenses.

     

    The board delayed filling a vacancy on the six-member Natchez Convention Promotion Commission. Aldermen decided to let the new board and mayor decide who to appoint as Lavada Hill’s replacement when the new administration takes office in July. The motion to postpone filling the vacancy was made by Alderman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, who was defeated for re-election last week by Valencia Hall.

     

    The NCPC governs how Natchez attracts visitors to the city and how tourism taxes are spent for this.

  • Natchez voters are strongly encouraged to wear masks and must have photo ID Tuesday

    Natchez voters are strongly encouraged to wear masks and must have photo ID Tuesday

    NATCHEZ, Miss. — City leaders are stressing  that Natchez voters wear facial coverings at the polling places for today’s municipal election. Bailiffs will block people from entering the voting precincts without them.
    COVID-19 masks will be available at the polls for voters who come without. As required by state law, electors must also have a photo ID to show pollworkers. Voters without can cast an alternative ballot and come to the Natchez city clerk’s office with the required identification within five days for their vote to count.
    Legal questions have arisen about whether people refusing to wear a mask can be denied their right to vote. Outside curbside voting is allowed for those unable to go inside polling places.
    The city’s mandate that people wear face coverings in public places ended Sunday at the expiration of various requirements and guidelines the Board of Aldermen imposed in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The six-member board Monday was to discuss whether to extend local COVID directives, but aldermen could not officially meet because only three were present. However, Natchez is under Mississippi’s “Safe Return” order that took effect Monday for all businesses and public venues to be open with various social-distancing and crowd-limit guidelines to restrain the contagion.
    Natchez-Adams County emergency management officials reported Monday the county has at least 20 “active” cases of the coronavirus among the 200 Adams County residents confirmed to have been infected by the disease since March, according to the state Department of Health. While 15 Adams County residents have died from COVID-19, no deaths have recently been reported.
    Merit Health Natchez reported Monday it had two coronavirus patients on ventilators in the hospital’s intensive care unit while four other patients were in recovery or rehabilitation. Last week marked the lowest number of COVID-19 patients in the Natchez hospital since the pandemic flared up in March, according to hospital administrator Lance Boyd.
    With the community’s reopening of  business and social sectors, there are concerns about another spike in COVID cases as people recongregate. “Don’t let your guard down,” said Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford. He stressed the need for people to wear masks in public, limit person-to-person contact and avoid large crowds.
    The two-month-old curfew remains in place for Natchez-Adams County for at least another two weeks. The Adams County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved the night-time curfew’s extension to June 15. While people can’t be wandering or gathering together outside after 11 p.m., they can travel to and from legally operating businesses, such as the Magnolia Bluffs Casino and other Natchez-Adams County nightspots.
    The local 11 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew began in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus and is not precipitated by the violent protests that have erupted this past week throughout the country.
  • Natchez board hears coronavirus reports

    Natchez board hears coronavirus reports

    NATCHEZ. Miss. – The Board of Aldermen is delaying decisions on hiring new city workers to fill vacancies as Natchez awaits the extent of revenue losses brought by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
    “We hope and pray we don’t have a major decline in revenues where we might have to lay people off or have furloughs,” Mayor Darryl Grennell said Tuesday.
    The board put off until next month a decision on whether to fill vacancies in the Natchez Public Works Department, which is now down to less than 50 percent of its needed workforce due to resignations and other reasons, said department supervisor Justin Dollar.
    Grennell said city officials will know more in June how poor city sales tax collections are as the economic recession further takes hold because of the coronavirus. They will “try to be as frugal as possible during this tough financial time,” Grennell said.
    As the city has fewer public works staffers, Natchez residents should expect delays in filling street potholes, cutting grass and cleaning properties, the mayor said.
    Sales tax collections for Natchez in March declined by about $60,000 – a 13 percent drop from the same time in 2019, according to the state Department of Revenue. Natchez retailers collected about $422,000 in sales taxes for the city in March, down from the $485,000 in March 2019.
    Sales tax collections at Natchez restaurants and hotels were down even more — about 50 percent.
    The Board of Aldermen on March 24 ordered businesses deemed nonessential to close their doors as the COVID-19 crisis spiked. Natchez residents were directed to stay home as much as possible except to shop for groceries, visit health-care providers and tend to other vital needs.
    The board on April 30 began easing back the business shutdowns by allowing stores and restaurants to reopen their doors but with restrictions and mandates limiting the number of people inside and keeping places sanitized. The order is set to expire Sunday but could be extended.
    —-
    In a Tuesday teleconference of the Natchez mayor, aldermen and others, local physician Lee England said Adams County’s coronavirus cases are “somewhat on the decline” while Mississippi’s overall numbers continue to increase.
    The state Department of Health reported Tuesday that 15 Adams County residents have died from the virus and 189 have been infected since March 11. While the number of coronavirus victims is up from 161 two weeks ago, no recent deaths have been reported for Adams County, according to the department’s database. Grennell did say Tuesday evening the coronavirus had just taken the life of another Adams County resident.
    While Adams County’s COVID infection rate is “flattening,” it’s “no time to be complacent” said Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford. He pointed to the need to continue social distancing, washing hands and wearing face masks in public.
    The mayor and aldermen heard various reports Tuesday about how various sectors of Natchez-Adams County are coping with the worst socioeconomic crisis since The Great Depression.
    —-
    While religious congregations have not gathered in local churches the past two months since the coronavirus flared up, at least two will reopen their doors this Sunday, according to the Rev. Bill Barksdale. St. Mary Catholic and Trinity Episcopal churches will have indoor services, he said. Other churches — such as Barksdale’s Jefferson Street United Methodist — will continue to keep congregants from gathering and offer them online services to view remotely. A recommendation will be made by June 21 on whether other Natchez churches should resume normal services.
    He noted there has been resentment expressed by some churchgoers concerned that various businesses and public places have been allowed to reopen while churches remain locked up.
    Churches are enduring “financial strains” because they can’t pass the plates for in-person offerings from congregants. “We’re struggling along like everybody else,” Barksdale told the mayor and Board of Aldermen.
    —-
    With the community reopening as government quarantine orders have been relaxed, England noted time will tell if there will be an uptick in people getting infected by the highly contagious coronavirus. He pointed to various predictions being made about COVID-19’s future global presence.
    It could continue to persist at least two or three years as a “slow burn” until a vaccine is developed or a natural “herd immunity” is achieved. At worst, he said, there could be a “tsunami wave” next autumn and winter that infects more people – forcing another major socioeconomic shutdown like what took place in March and April.
    —-
    City officials pointed to widespread confusion about the varying conditions in Natchez-Adams County’s COVID orders and nighttime curfew implemented in March but relaxed last week. While people under age 21 must be off the streets by 11 p.m., others are now allowed out after hours if coming from or going to businesses that can be open late at night. However, restaurants that serve alcohol must close by 10 a.m., restaurants that don’t serve booze can be open 24 hours, bars that don’t serve food can’t open at all while the Natchez Magnolia Bluffs Casino and its bars can operate until 2 a.m. Part of the confusion is due to the various revisions made in the past month to state and local governments’ original ban on certain public places being open and the restrictions on those where people are allowed in.
    —-
    Adams County Election Commissioner Larry Gardner said special virus-preventative steps are being taken for next Tuesday’s municipal election. Those measures include having people wear face masks at the polling places and not being crowded so closely together as votes are cast and processed. Voters will also be given disposable popsicle sticks as styluses to pick candidates on the touch-screen voting machines. The cards voters use to activate the machines will also be disinfected after each use, Gardner said.
    The city clerk’s office at City Hall will be open this week — including Saturday 8 a.m. till noon — for people unable to attend the polling places Tuesday and want to vote with absentee ballots in person. Eligible voters can also vote absentee via mail-in ballots.
    Tuesday’s election is the Democratic party primary to choose candidates for mayor and three aldermen seats. Former Natchez alderman Tony Fields and former Crystal Springs mayor Dan Gibson are vying to replace Grennell, who’s not running for re-election. Three incumbent aldermen face challengers while the other three are unopposed. Winners of the June party primary will be on the general election ballot July 14 with Fields or Gibson facing two independent candidates for mayor. The Ward 1 alderman party primary winner will face an independent candidate, and the Ward 4 Democratic nominee faces a Republican.
  • Natchez board braces for budget woes as virus pandemic cripples economy

    Natchez board braces for budget woes as virus pandemic cripples economy

    NATCHEZ. Miss. – The city treasury is beginning to feel the impact of the forced shutdown of Natchez businesses prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

     

    Sales tax collections for Natchez in March declined by about $60,000 – a 13 percent drop from the same time in 2019, according to the state Department of Revenue. Natchez retailers collected about $422,000 in sales taxes for the city in March, down from the $485,000 in March 2019.

     

    Sales tax collections at Natchez restaurants and hotels were down even more.

     

    The Natchez Board of Aldermen on March 24 enacted a quarantine that ordered businesses deemed nonessential to close their doors as the COVID-19 crisis spiked. Natchez residents were directed to stay home as much as possible except to shop for groceries, visit health-care providers and tend to other vital needs.

     

    The board on April 30 began easing back the business shutdowns by allowing stores and restaurants to reopen their doors but with restrictions and mandates limiting the number of people inside and keeping places sanitized.

     

    In addition to the general state sales taxes generated for Natchez, the city also has special city taxes imposed on Natchez restaurants and hotels. Their business was down dramatically in March as they were forced to shutter: sales taxes in March totaled nearly $69,000 — a steep 50 percent drop from the $138,000 generated in March 2019. An additional levy imposed on hotel guests was also down sharply compared to last year: March 2020 brought about $15,000 while March 2019 had $40,000.

     

    March and April each year is Natchez’ peak tourist season as the annual four-week Spring Pilgrimage takes place. It was cancelled March 17 as the tours of antebellum houses had just begun.

     

    April tax collection data will be published soon by the state Department of Revenue.

     

    With sales taxes essential sources of revenues to run city government and promote tourism, the Natchez Board of Aldermen is braced for more declines as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cripple the economy. The board has begun imposing budgetary restraints “to get us through the tough economic times that we’re facing,” said Ward 3 Alderman Sarah Carter Smith.

     

    Those include a freeze on hiring new employees and purchasing new vehicles. However, more austerity measures are likely while city officials try to avoid cutting essential services and  laying off municipal workers.

     

    “We’re going to be looking at a difficult situation when the next term comes around, and some of it will be dependent on what we do now,” said Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard.

     

    The new term begins July 24 after Natchez voters elect the new mayor and six aldermen in the June party primaries and July general election.

     

    Mayor Darryl Grennell opted not to run for re-election, but he’s urging aldermen in the next couple of months “to make sure we’re not overspending in this city” so “we can have money that’s available for the next administration coming in.”

     

    Four candidates are vying to replace Grennell, who’s served only one term – following a 20-year trend of Natchez having only one-term mayors.

  • Revised city-county curfews applied broadly for business

    Revised city-county curfews applied broadly for business

    NATCHEZ. Miss. — The newly revised curfews for Natchez and Adams County allow people to travel to and from any lawfully operating business late at night. The original orders to stay indoors 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. remain in place, but the city and county boards have broadened the exemptions that had earlier just allowed essential workers to be out after hours.

     

    “The new curfew creates a broader exemption for people traveling to, from and patronizing any lawfully operating business,”  said Adams County board attorney Scott Slover.

     

    The Board of Supervisors on Monday revised the curfew it first imposed March 25 as the coronavirus pandemic flared up. The Natchez Board of Aldermen adopted a similar curfew exemption for the city today.

     

    While the nighttime curfew is being broadly relaxed for any legitimate business-related outings, city and county officials were prompted to ease up because of the planned reopening of the Magnolia Bluffs Casino on Thursday. The Natchez casino plans to operate until 2 a.m. each night, said Mayor Darryl Grennell.

     

    Magnolia Bluffs — one on Natchez’ largest business — closed March 16 along with Mississippi’s 25 other state-regulated casinos because of the coronavirus threat. While COVID-19 remains virulent, the casinos’ reopening Thursday will be with various state-imposed restrictions and mandates to ensure they’re disinfected and not crowded. The government regulations are similar to those put on other businesses, as most have been allowed to reopen their doors to customers.

     

    Bars that don’t serve food and museums are about the only public places that remain closed by state order, said Gov. Tate Reeves. He said today that guidelines are being formulated for them to help curb the virus spread when they’re allowed to open their doors to patrons.

     

    While the local curfew exemptions have been broadened, anybody under age 21 still cannot be out after 11 p.m. in the city. People also cannot be loitering outside late at night if not traveling to a business in the city or county.

     

  • Natchez-Adams County plans coronavirus mask distribution, relaxes curfew

    Natchez-Adams County plans coronavirus mask distribution, relaxes curfew

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Plans are being made for a distribution of masks provided by Natchez-Adams County officials for people to wear when out in public during the coronavirus pandemic. When, where and how will be announced later, said Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford.

     

    He said the facial coverings – which are required for anyone inside Natchez stores and other businesses – will be supplied by the state of Mississippi.

     

    As state and local governments continue to relax their quarantine orders imposed in March, the county Board of Supervisors today loosened the city-county nighttime curfew to allow casino and bar patrons to be out until 2 a.m. The previous Adams County curfew required people to be home after 10 p.m. unless they’re essential workers, such as health-care providers, grocery employees and critical manufacturing workers.

     

    The narrowed curfew window will largely accommodate people traveling to and from Magnolia Bluffs Casino. The Natchez casino reopens Thursday after being closed since March 16. Mississippi’s 26 casinos were ordered closed by the state because of the spreading virus. While COVID-19 continues to be virulent, the casinos’ reopening Thursday will be with various restrictions and mandates to ensure they’re disinfected and are not crowded. The regulations are similar to those put in place on other businesses that’ve been allowed to reopen their doors to customers.

     

    The curfew has been relaxed for those not traveling to and from the casinos and bars, but they can’t be “out and about or hanging out in the streets,” said Adams County board attorney Scott Slover.

     

    At least 15 people residing in Natchez-Adams County have died from the coronavirus and 173 confirmed to have been sickened by it since March 11, according to the state Department of Health’s most recent count published Monday. Of the 15 who died, eight were in Natchez-Adams County nursing homes.

     

    While state and local officials have said numbers of COVID cases have stabilized this month, the counts are up from the end of April, when at least eight people from Adams County had died from it and 133 were confirmed to have been infected.

     

    —

     

    The Board of Supervisors faces a June 30 deadline to plan what will be done to fix the hazardous Robins Lake dam that could break and flood parts of south Adams County.

     

    While the state Department of Environmental Quality is requiring corrective measures be taken to avert such a disaster, Adam County supervisors are questioning whether they’re legally responsible for the privately owned dam. It’ll be expensive to repair what DEQ has deemed a “high-hazard” dam.  The five supervisors decided Monday to get board attorney Scott Slover to retain outside lawyers who could give more advice on supervisors’ legal liability.

     

    While the small dam and lake are privately owned, the county board took ownership of the public road atop it several years ago. There are several landowners at Robins Lake, but countless numbers reside downstream who could be flooded if the dam breaks.

     

    Remediation options presented to the board in recent months include rebuilding the dam or eliminating it and drain the small lake it retains. Whatever steps taken will be expensive with uncertainties who pays and where the money comes from. Adams County Administrator Joe Murray estimated the cost could be as much as $1 million.

     

    DEQ’s dam safety division is demanding the county have a plan in place next month or face sanctions by the state.

     

    Robins Lake is located about 10 miles south of Natchez and west of U.S. 61 and Lower Woodville Road between the Cloverdale and Sibley areas.

     

    In addition to their legal liability, county supervisors said they question the viability of the fishless lake that could amount to merely a large “drainage ditch” full of sediment. They decided Monday to get measurements of the lake’s depth.

     

    —

     

    Natchez residents who’ve gathered yard limbs that the city’s trash collector won’t pick up can ask Adams County crews to do the job.

     

    However, the county official in charge of this said his office has been inundated with requests to do this –  keeping his county workers busy within the city. Adams County Road Manager Robbie Dollar asked county supervisors Monday if they want to continue this pickup service for Natchez residents.

     

    “I don’t see how we can deny them because these people pay city and county taxes,” county board President Ricky Gray said of Natchez residents.

     

    The city’s contract with its private trash collector – Arrow Disposal Services – requires city residents to limit the amount of yard limbs and rubbish to four feet long and two cubic yards for curbside pickup, Dollar said. The county is not as restrictive.

     

    “The city does not offer what we offer,” Dollar said. However, city residents must call the county road department to give details on what they want hauled away.  The phone number is 601 445-7935.

     

    Dollar said his county pickup crew averages about three loads daily. He did say they will not take rubbish cut by professional tree-cutters. Residents should ensure those they hire remove the cuttings.

  • Natchez board lets restaurants, hair salons open doors with COVID regulations in place

    Natchez board lets restaurants, hair salons open doors with COVID regulations in place

    NATCHEZ, Miss. –The Board of Aldermen today agreed to let Natchez restaurants reopen for indoor dining if they adhere to strict rules that include limiting the number of patrons inside and requiring waiters to wear facial coverings to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus.
    With Natchez restaurants being closed by the city for dine-in services since March 25, they’re starving financially as local and state governments have imposed stringent controls on people getting together in public.
    The board also decided to let Natchez hair salons, barber shops and fitness centers reopen if they also take steps to keep their facilities sanitized and less crowded.
    What Natchez aldermen implemented today will let these businesses “begin to recover economically and provide services in a safe environment,” said Mayor Darryl Grennell.
    The new city order is much like Gov. Tate Reeves’ directives implemented statewide in the past week to let businesses considered “nonessential” to open their doors for customers. Natchez — as other Mississippi cities — is allowed to enact stricter regulations if they don’t impede on essential services or rights.
    Natchez remains in a public-health crisis that compels people to stay home, avoid contact with others, wear masks in public, wash hands often and take other steps against the highly contagious respiratory disease. However, with the socioeconomic shutdown of the past two months, there’s a “strong sense of unrest developing among the citizens of our community,” said William Thames, who chairs a committee counseling the Natchez mayor and aldermen during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
    While Thames recommended letting Natchez eateries and hair salons reopen their doors, they must follow “very onerous and stringent regulations and guidelines.” Those include having fewer people being inside at one time and being spaced farther apart; wearing face masks covering mouth and nose; deep-cleaning to ensure facilities are sanitized; and testing employees to ensure they’re not sick.
    “It is important to note that we are not in a safety zone. We are still in a state of emergency,” Thames said.
    At least 15 people from Adams County have died from the novel coronavirus of the 161 people sickened by it here since March 11, according to the Mississippi Department of Health’s count Tuesday. That’s an increase from three weeks ago, when four Adams County residents had died and 70 had the disease.
    Of the 15 who’ve died, eight were in nursing homes, eight were black and seven were white, according to the state statistics. Of the total 161 victims hit by the virus from Adams County, 95 are black and 42 white.
    The rising number of coronavirus cases in Adams County appears to be stabilizing, said Blane Mire, a Natchez physician advising Grennell and city aldermen. However, he stressed there must be a reduction of cases for two weeks to know if the virus is abating here. “This is only going to happen with a continued mitigation strategy…. to reduce the spread,” Mire told the city officials Tuesday.
    People, he said, must exercise social distancing, stay home as much as possible, avoid close contact with others, wash hands often  — and wear face masks when interacting with other people inside stores and elsewhere.
    “If this isn’t done smartly, … we could turn this into another spike in cases and see an outbreak again,” Mire said.
    The six city aldermen’s actions Tuesday revised the various city quarantine orders that were initiated March 24 and gradually eased since then for most businesses to be open with various public-health regulations in place. They’re currently set to expire May 31. This includes an 11 p.m. – 5 a.m. curfew forbidding Natchez-Adams County residents being outside their homes unless for essential duties or services.
    Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong said most people appear to be complying with the city’s COVET-19 restrictions, but he noted there have been isolated incidents of violators causing “significant problems.” He noted fines up to $1,000 can be imposed on violators found guilty in city court.
    Tuesday’s meeting of the mayor and Board of Aldermen was conducted as a teleconference to avoid person-to-person contact. They’ve been meeting like this since March.
  • Restaurants in Natchez must remain closed for inside dining

    Restaurants in Natchez must remain closed for inside dining

    NATCHEZ, Miss. –Restaurants in Natchez must remain closed for inside dining even though Gov. Tate Reeves decided Monday to allow patrons to dine in if eateries adhere to strict measures to curb the coronavirus’ spread.
    The city’s six-week-old ban on restaurants opening their dining rooms should remain in place through May, said Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell. They can only serve drive-through, pickup or delivery customers.
    While Reeves’ easing of the state’s quarantine order goes into effect, Grennell said Natchez’ stricter mandates are needed to combat the worsening rate of people sickened by the highly contagious respiratory disease.
    “Our order will stay in place until May 31. Our numbers are too high here in Adams County,” Grennell said.
    At least 149 people in Natchez-Adams County have been sickened by the novel coronavirus and nine have died since March 11, according to the Mississippi Department of Health’s count Monday. That’s an increase from two weeks ago, when four Adams County residents had died from it and 70 were confirmed to have had it.
    Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford cited statistics Monday indicating about 80 of the nearly 150 people who’ve had COVID-19 here have recovered.
    The Board of Aldermen last week extended Natchez’ restrictions on public gatherings through May but to allow some nonessential businesses to reopen as the global coronavirus continues to sicken more people and cripple the economy.
    The city order – which includes a requirement for people in stores to wear facial coverings — continues measures implemented in March encouraging people to stay home isolated from others to deter the spread of the virus. However, certain businesses deemed nonessential were allowed last week to open their doors for customers but with various requirements.
    Among them: Businesses must require employees and customers to wear masks covering their mouth and nose; limit the number of store patrons to half of their building’s capacity; ensure they’re at least six feet apart; require employees to frequently sanitize hands and surfaces and offer hand sanitizers to customers.
    Natchez restaurants and bars, however, must continue to close their doors for sit-down dining but be allowed to serve take-out food.
    Churches and funerals should also not have more than 10 people gathered at one time.
    The governor decided Monday to let people gather in Mississippi parks with limitations, but Natchez parks must remain closed except for walking trails, as directed by the city board-adopted order. The city park’s entrance gate was open but with a sign saying park is closed – “enter at your own risk.”
    Barber shops and hair salons still aren’t allowed to open, as directed by both the state and city orders currently in place.
    Mississippi cities and counties can enact COVID-19 lockdowns stricter than the state if they don’t impact essential services.
    The Adams County Board of Supervisors on Monday extended the county’s curfew through May to prohibit people being out of their homes from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. It does not apply to essential workers, such as health-care providers, grocery employees and critical manufacturing employees.
    While the various mandates and restrictions imposed since March seem strict, they’re not as severe as what city officials did in past Natchez epidemics and quarantines, according to historical accounts.
    During the 1871 yellow fever epidemic, “Natchez became virtually abandoned, as a strict quarantine was enforced and the epidemic dragged on into late October, ruining business,” wrote Aaron Anderson, author of Builders of a New South: Merchants, Capital and the Remaking of Natchez, 1865-1914.