With Leflore County’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths from the respiratory disease continuing to rise, the Greenwood City Council voted Tuesday to continue limiting the numbers of customers at five large stores.
The maximum is 125 people shopping at one time at Greenwood Market Place, Save A Lot, Big Star and Dirt Cheap and 150 at Walmart.
City leaders have been pleading with residents to practice social distancing and other safety measures. “It’s just so disheartening to see our numbers climbing,” Mayor Carolyn McAdams said.
Because of social distancing requirements, the council met via the online meeting platform Zoom.
There were 109 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 12 deaths from COVID-19 in Leflore County, according to a Tuesday update by the Mississippi State Department of Health.
The city also requires that only two customers be allowed per shopping cart. Also, customers must travel one way along a shopping aisle and follow other social distancing guidelines.
The city’s limitation on customers at a store, as well as its daily 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and other social-distancing guidelines, will be in effect as long as the numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in Leflore County keep traveling upward, McAdams said after the meeting.
“If they’re continuing to climb,” she said, “then we’re doing something wrong.”
The mayor said that if the city were to completely reopen while the coronavirus still lingers, then a relapse could occur, leading to stricter limits.
“The numbers tell me that there are some people in this city that are still not taking this virus seriously,” McAdams said.
Ward 1’s Johnny Jennings agreed. “We’re not doing something right,” he said.
He reported that, during a recent outing to Walmart, he noticed that about one-third of the people inside were not wearing masks.
Jennings and Ward 6’s David Jordan said they would like to see all residents wear masks when out in public.
Statewide, there were 4,716 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 183 deaths attributed to the virus.
Leflore County has the second-highest number of deaths among Mississippi’s 82 counties and the second highest per capita number. It has the fifth-most confirmed cases on a per capita basis.
In other news, the mayor gave an update about the city’s planned street-repavement project.
Last year, the city issued $6.3 million in bonds to be used to repave streets throughout Greenwood’s seven wards.
McAdams said council members should check the lists they made of streets needing repairs to ensure their lists are accurate. She also said they should soon schedule a ride-along with Karl Grubbs of Willis Engineering, the engineer for the project, so he can see the needs for himself.
•Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
