The city of Charleston has relaxed some coronavirus-related restrictions for residents and businesses, including ratcheting back the length of a citywide curfew.
In addition, businesses that have been ordered closed are now able to reopen, with stipulations.
Mayor Sedrick Smith announced the action Tuesday after he and the Charleston Board of Commissioners discussed the matter Monday at noon via Zoom video conferencing. The changes were effective Tuesday.
He said the idea is to continue to make "gradual steps toward reopening some of the city's businesses, moving from a shelter-in-place order to a safer-at-home order."
In late March, Charleston officials adopted strict guidelines and imposed a general curfew from 8 each night until 6 the next morning as part of a series of governmental orders designed to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Under the new order, the city's curfew begins at 10 p.m. and ends at 5 a.m. — a total of seven hours instead of 10.
Among other highlights of this "safer at home" order, which remains in effect until May 25:
» Barbershops and salons may open, with one customer in the building at a time. Both the business owner and customer must wear a mask, and the owner is responsible for conducting a deep cleaning each day.
» The city's only fitness center, the James C. Kennedy Wellness Center, can reopen after a detailed cleaning of all equipment and rearranging all machines to be at least 6 feet apart. In addition, prior to resuming operations, the entire facility must be deep- cleaned, disinfected and sanitized.
» Chairs at all businesses must be rearranged to ensure at least 6 feet of separation between customers.
» Carwashes may reopen, but no more than four vehicles and four individuals may be present at a time, and everyone must wear a mask.
» Bars, clubs and churches must remain closed for now "due to overcrowding preventative measures," the order states.
» A face mask must be worn at all times when out in the public, and all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Mississippi Department of Health regulations governing COVID-19 must be followed.
"We are still practicing social distancing, and there will be neither loitering nor overcrowding in any outside setting," the order notes. In fact, it adds, "...If it is not a mandatory or an essential need, it's safer to remain indoors as much as possible and continue to follow all social distancing practices."
Smith said he is proud of the way city residents and business owners have handled the situation to date.
"We've done a really good job and the community has rallied behind each order set in place. This community has really been patient and they've abided by all the rules," he noted.
Smith said officials will "closely monitor" the COVID-19 situation in the city and will be prepared to take action "as needed" should the number of active cases increase dramatically.
Meanwhile, officials in Tutwiler and Webb are not yet inclined to relax restrictions imposed in those towns.
"Our regulations are the same as they were at first," said Tutwiler Mayor Nichole Harris-Rosebud. "We were waiting on the county to make changes after the state changes so we can stay in line as a county. We are now waiting for county changes and we will meet to see which changes we want to adopt."
Harris-Rosebud added, "We are trying to still take as many safety precauations as possible. The safety of our citizens is our top priority."
Webb Mayor Tracy Mims said his town's edicts remain unchanged, although the lone barbershop was given the option to reopen but chose not to do so.
"As of now, the curfew remains 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., but we will revisit that soon to allow the stores perhaps another hour to operate," Mims added. "My personal take on this is that I realize people must work and the economy is suffering. However, it certainly concerns me that opening up is done at the expense of more lives being lost due to many people not adhering to the CDC's guidelines."
Last week, the Tallahatchie County Board of Supervisors followed Gov. Tate Reeves' lead to allow restaurants in rural areas of the county to reopen.
County officials also lifted its curfew, which had been in effect for more than a month and required businesses to close daily from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m.
Read the new Charleston order in its entirety here.
