Schools are also allowed to open gyms and weight rooms per the latest order, and MHSAA announced last week that teams will be able to resume practice June 1.
Gov. Tate Reeves first issued a shelter in place order on April 1, and certain new industries have been able to reopen each week over the past month. This has included retail stores, restaurants, beaches, barber shops and salons, and casinos, most notably. Though they’ve had to open under strict new guidelines and at limited capacity. This has remained consistent.
With businesses closing either temporarily or permanently during the pandemic, more than 220,000 Mississippians filed for unemployment, with claims spiking from 1,000 per week to 30,000 in two weeks. This has stabilized.
As Reeves has said, few businesses remain closed. So, what is closed? Mostly indoor entertainment businesses, such as movie theaters or trampoline parks. But look for that to change in the very near future. Reeves has said he’s working with the Department of Health to develop guidelines for all businesses to be open soon, possibly by June 1.
And this is what Mississippians want, at least based on their traveling habits.
Mississippians are getting out more. According to the latest mobility tracking data from Apple, Mississippians are generally back to their normal pre-pandemic traveling patterns after more than a month of steep decline.
This is a national trend. Save for the most impacted states, including neighboring Louisiana, much of the south, midwest, and interior west, is leaving their house.