JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi, like other states, continues to see a steep rise in the number of people seeking temporary unemployment benefits as more businesses close their doors or furlough workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a public health crisis, but it is also an economic crisis,” Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday.
Reeves and Mississippi Department of Employment Security director Jackie Turner said the department continues to bring in more workers to handle applications, and that the operation is open seven days a week. They acknowledged many people who need to apply have had trouble connecting by phone or online because of the crushing demand.
They also said enhanced unemployment payments should start arriving this week for people whose applications have been approved. The $600-a-week supplement comes from a massive federal relief package.
“We see you. We hear you. We will help you,” Reeves said during a news conference.
In a separate development Thursday, a legal organization demanded that a city in the Mississippi Delta rescind a temporary ban on worship services inside churches or in parking lots. Greenville enacted the ban this week to try to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus. The ban is in effect as long as the governor’s statewide stay-at-home order, which is set to expire April 20.
Reeves has said repeatedly that he does not believe government can force churches to close. But, with Easter approaching, he is asking people to worship online or at home. The Greenville order says the city encourages the same.
Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons said Thursday that the city tightened rules for churches because most COVID-19 cases there “were caused because people went to church or a church gathering” such as weddings or funerals.
“We saw a large number of churches, even after March 20, still holding services of 50 or 60 people,” Simmons said.
Texas-based First Liberty Institute emailed a letter to Greenville officials Thursday demanding that the city drop the “draconian and unconstitutional” restriction on worship services. The group said the pastor of one Greenville church has been standing in the parking lot and using a bullhorn to deliver his sermon while people sit in a few cars with their windows rolled up to listen. The letter said Greenville police issued $500 tickets on Wednesday to people parked outside another church for a similar service.
The Associated Press left a voicemail message Thursday for an assistant police chief, and he did not immediately respond.
The state Health Department said Thursday that Mississippi’s overall coronavirus caseload grew to at least 2,260 infections and 76 deaths as of Wednesday evening. That is an increase of 257 cases and nine deaths from the previous day. The outbreak has spread to at least 44 long-term care facilities.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.
Unemployment claims are soaring across the U.S. More than 46,000 applications for jobless benefits were submitted in Mississippi during the week that ended April 4, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration said Thursday. That is a 45% increase from the previous week and a 4,800% increase from the same week in 2019.
Reeves said the unemployment claims in the past week were equivalent to all claims submitted in the state during the past 52 weeks combined.
The Nissan factory near the central Mississippi city of Canton announced this week that it was furloughing 4,000 hourly employees through April 27. Many restaurants in the state remain open for carryout or delivery service, and some are operating with fewer employees. Barbershops, salons and many retail stores are closed.
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AP reporter Janet McConnaughey contributed to this report from New Orleans.
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
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