Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that he is rejecting “dictator models like China” to strictly control people’s movements to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
His comments came a day after he issued an executive order that seeks to limit people’s physical interactions. Reeves told restaurants and bars statewide to close their dining rooms and limit service to carry-out or deliver meals. He has encouraged people to remain home, but has not issued a stay-at-home order, as many other governors have done.
Also Wednesday, a day after Reeves said he wants Mississippi’s only abortion clinic to stop doing elective surgeries, the clinic was still seeing patients. Protesters and clinic escorts sometimes stood close to each other on the sidewalk outside, ignoring suggestions by medical professionals that people keep a 6-foot (2-meter) distance between themselves and others.
From Tuesday night:
Mississippians “shall avoid social and other non-essential gathering in groups of more than 10 people” if that gathering is in a single space and people are close together.
Restaurants can remain open and do ‘dine in’ as long as there are no more than ten people are gathered in a single space.
