Mississippi Governor Backtracks on Plan to Reopen After Surge in COVID-19 Deaths

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves backtracked on his plans to slowly reopen the local economy after health officials reported the highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases on Friday and new deaths since the state’s first detected case in March. Reeves announced his decision to withdraw his plan to reopen the state after the Mississippi State Health Department said 20 people died and 397 more tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. The decision comes less than a week after Reeves launched a plan that would allow businesses to reopen with strict social distancing and reduced capacity. “Today, I was prepared to announce further reopenings,” Reeves said at his daily press conference. “That was the plan and I was excited to get more of our people back to work. We have to get businesses back and we have to get back to normal life. There are still a few industries that are forced to be closed, and I absolutely hate that. It eats me alive every day.”