Mississippi sets official date for casinos to open
Mississippi casinos will be able to reopen before Memorial Day after a two-month shutdown during the coronavirus crisis, Mississippi Gaming Commission Executive Director Allen Godfrey confirmed Thursday.
Casinos, which employ about 16,000 people statewide, have been closed since midnight of March 16.
Casinos will be allowed to reopen at 8 a.m. on May 21, according to Godfrey.
Godfrey said details about restrictions to keep customers and employees safe will be released later.
As of Thursday, Mississippi has 10,483 confirmed coronavirus cases and 480 deaths.
News of the Gaming Commission's decision to reopen casinos came at the end of Gov. Tate Reeves' regularly scheduled news conference Thursday.
Reeves is forging ahead with reopening Mississippi's economy. Retailers, restaurants, salons, barbershops and gyms are allowed to resume operations. The state is requiring businesses to meet certain social distancing restrictions and sanitation standards.
Seven counties are under an order for heightened restrictions.
The Mississippi State Department of Health has identified those counties
— Attala, Leake, Scott, Jasper, Neshoba, Newton and Lauderdale — as coronavirus hotspots.
On Wednesday, the governor announced landlords will be allowed to evict tenants again on June 1. He had ordered a two-month suspension on evictions to give "everyone an opportunity to get through the absolute worst," Reeves said.
Things to know from Thursday's news conference with the governor
❚ Reeves said he will be hosting a virtual celebration for class of 2020 graduates on his Facebook page on
Saturday at 10 a.m.: https://ww w.facebook.com/tatereeves/
❚ Reeves intends to sign a bill passed by Legislators that sets aside $300 million for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus
❚ Mississippians should include personal protective equipment in their disaster response kits as they're preparing for the hurricane season, said Greg Michel, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Be prepared to evacuate instead of going to shelters, which will have limited capacity due to social distancing guidelines, he said.
Contact Alissa Zhu at azhu@gann ett.com. Follow @Alissazhu on Twitter.