Miss. Gov. Reeves reopening businesses after the state saw the largest spike in coronavirus cases and deaths to date

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves was prepared to reopen more businesses in the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but he said Friday that a sudden increase in cases and deaths changed his mind.

Reeves announced his decision to hold steady under his “Safer at Home” order during his weekday news conference.

“Today, I was prepared to announce further reopenings,” Reeves said. “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.

Friday morning, the Mississippi State Health Department announced 397 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 deaths — the highest single-day increase in both numbers since reporting began March 11.

“I was ready to change our order today, but I needed to take the latest information into account,” he said. “This is a large enough change to take a step back and look at the board. I’ve come to the conclusion that I must hold on for now and consider it at least over the weekend.”

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