Because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases coming out of the recent holiday breaks, department offices in the Town of Sumrall are moving back to limited contact with customers.
Beginning Jan. 18 – the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Sumrall Town Hall will return to drive-through service only for bill pay and other matters. Mayor Joel Lofton said although this procedure will limit contact between employees and the public, it should have almost no impact on any services provided to town residents.
“Town hall is of course water, sewer, garbage bills, all of that, and any other city business,” he said. “For the immediate future, that will be drive-through, and other departments have been authorized to minimize contact.
“Of course, we expect all services to continue. We’re small, and we don’t have a large number of employees, so if we lose one or two (to illness), that could shut services down. So we’d rather be a little cautious, and keep everybody good and healthy so that one or two sicknesses don’t happen so we can stay consistent with what we’re offering to the public.”
Town officials will now continuously monitor COVID case numbers to determine when to fully re-open the offices to the public.
“We look at the department of health data, and right now we’re in some of the highest confirmed case rates that we’ve ever been,” Lofton said. “Granted, the symptoms for many (people) are less, but still, we’re following the recommendations that if somebody is positive, they go home and quarantine – according to the (Centers for Disease Control) – for five days.
“Then, there’s a procedure where after the first five (days), they come back. So we’re really just trying to minimize interruptions and keep everybody safe.”
Lofton reiterated that the limited contact protocol should not affect residents’ services in any way. If customers need service beyond paying bills, they are encouraged to call Sumrall Town Hall at (601) 758-3591.
“There should be no impact on services, other than rather than face-to-face, some things will be handled by phone or through a window,” Lofton said.
According to numbers provided by Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker on Jan. 14, the healthcare system for the Hattiesburg metropolitan area – which includes Forrest and Lamar counties – saw 106 COVID-positive patients at Forrest General Hospital and Merit Health Wesley. Of those, 19 were in the Intensive Care Unit and 10 were on ventilators.
As of Jan. 14, Forrest County officials reported 293 new COVID cases, while Lamar County reported 267. The “inside 14-day” number, which is the number of people who have tested positive over the last two weeks, was 2,311 in Forrest County and 2,145 in Lamar County, for a total of 4,456 in the Hattiesburg metropolitan area.
In Forrest County, 30,690 residents (41 percent) have been fully vaccinated, while 34,496 (5 percent) have received one dose. In Lamar County, 36,687 residents (58 percent) are fully vaccinated, while 40,534 (6 percent) have received one dose.
