Petal Mayor Hal Marx said he will follow Gov. Tate Reeves’s lead when it comes to reopening businesses and other endeavors in The Friendly City that have been forced to temporarily close because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During Tuesday night’s meeting of the Petal Board of Aldermen, Marx said Reeves, who recently extended Mississippi’s “shelter in place” order until 8 a.m. Monday, is expected to give an update on that order early next week. At that point, Marx said, he will recommend the city whatever guidelines the governor puts in place.
“I think he’s going to gradually open some things up, and my take on that is, we simply follow what the state does,” Marx said. “If the state directs that certain businesses open back up, then they open back up. If the state deems they remain closed, they remain closed.”
Marx said he envisions some restaurants being allowed to open within the next couple of weeks, albeit with reduced capacities.
“It looks like (Reeves) is probably going to be moving toward that,” Marx said. “I think that’s what he’s looking to do, so I would suggest we just stay the course with what we’re doing and follow what the state does. If the state lifts everything, we do ours too.”
Reeves had originally mandated the shelter in place order to end on April 20 before extending the order a week after looking at data regarding the number of cases in the state.
“I have to ask you for one more week of sheltering in place,” Reeves said when he announced the extension.
Marx said he will also determine whether to lift the city’s temporary burn ban based on the governor’s announcement. That ban – which makes it illegal to burn within 300 feet of a residence in which an occupant suffers from a documented health condition which could be worsened by smoke exposure – was recently put into place so as not to exacerbate any respiratory conditions that might be worsened by the virus.
