{"id":86974,"date":"2020-04-28T15:21:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T20:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=86974"},"modified":"2020-04-28T15:28:40","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T20:28:40","slug":"city-of-oxford-mississippi-to-allow-some-businesses-to-reopen-wednesday-april-29-2020-with-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/city-of-oxford-mississippi-to-allow-some-businesses-to-reopen-wednesday-april-29-2020-with-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Oxford, Mississippi to Allow Some Businesses to Reopen Wednesday, April 29, 2020 with Restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The City of Oxford, Mississippi Board of Aldermen<\/strong> held a special meeting on Tuesday, April 28 to discuss the possible reopening of local businesses. Mayor Robyn Tannehill<\/strong> and Oxford Aldermen heard a presentation by Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Allgood<\/strong> who presented data that showed that Oxford’s peak cases of COVID-19 was April 18, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the “Serving Oxford Safely Phase 1 Recovery Plan<\/strong><\/a>” adopted by the Board on April 23, the date of implementing the plan was to be two weeks after Oxford’s peak, which have been Saturday, May 2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Aldermen Mark\nHuelse<\/strong> (Ward II) and Rick Addy<\/strong> (Ward\nI) were in favor of allowing the implementation sooner than that, beginning\nWednesday, April 29. Alderwoman Janice\nAntonow<\/strong> (Ward III) wanted to stick to the original plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After much discussion between Aldermen and the city\nAttorney, Pope Mallette<\/strong>, Alderman Jason Bailey<\/strong> (Ward VI) made a motion to\nimplement Phase 1 on Wednesday, April 29. Alderman At-Large John Morgan<\/strong> seconded the motion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alderwoman Antonow reluctantly went along with the motion\nbut cautioned that if there is a spike in COVID-19 again, businesses may have\nto be shut down again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I worry that we are going to open, then we are going\nto have a spike in cases and we’re going to have to shut down again,” said\nAlderwoman Antonow. “To me that would be the worst thing for a small\nbusiness, to get their employees off of unemployment and back in the swing of\nthings and then we have to close them down again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Board voted on the fifth emergency resolution and it\npassed 6 to 1. Alderman Preston Taylor<\/strong>\n(Ward V) voted against the measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Board’s Fifth Emergency Declaration was passed and largely reenforced Governor Tate Reeves<\/strong> Executive Order #1477, which was signed April 24 and went into effect on Monday, April 27. But the Board’s add some addition restrictions not in the Governor’s Executive Order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor Tate Reeves Executive Order #1477 can be read here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Board of Aldermen’s Fifth Emergency Declaration<\/strong><\/a> reads as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 1: Except to the extent set forth herein, the\nfindings and regulations adopted in the City\u2019s Fourth Resolution Declaring\nAdditional Measures for the Control of Contagious and Infectious Diseases and\nfor the Protection of Public Health and Welfare and for Related Purposes\n(\u201cFourth Resolution\u201d) shall remain in full force and effect until the\nexpiration of Executive Order 1477 on May 11, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Section 2: Effective\nat 8:00 am on April 29, 2020, the City of Oxford adopts all findings and\nregulations contained in Executive Order 1477, with the following modifications\nand amendments. All precautions and protective measures outlined in Phase 1 of\n\u201cSERVING OXFORD SAFELY \u2013 A PLAN FOR RECOVERY PHASE 1\u201d (\u201cPlan\u201d) shall be\nrequired until further order of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, all businesses and services must require the following face covering and social distancing measures until further order of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Employees shall properly wear face coverings ensuring the\nface covering covers the mouth and nose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) All businesses shall monitor all points of entrance and\nprohibit entrance into the business by any individual over the age of six (6)\nyears not wearing a face covering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Management of each business must provide adequate\nsupervision to ensure compliance of the face-covering requirement to include\nbut not limited to door monitors to monitor the entrance of the public and\nfloor supervision for employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Prominent signs at every entrance informing customers\nthey must stay 6 feet away from other customers who did not accompany them to\nthe store; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) For businesses with existing public-public address\nsystems, regular announcements instructing customers to stay six feet away from\neach other;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) Markers on floors and signage measuring six-foot\nintervals and instructing people where to stand in checkout lanes and other\nlines; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

7) Employees specifically tasked to enforce social\ndistancing among customers, and employees specifically dedicated to that task\nin the case of large retail establishments such as grocery stores whose\npublicly accessible areas cannot be viewed at once; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8) For businesses that utilize such technology, signage\nencouraging cashless purchases, online ordering and pickup, and use of self-service\ncheckout stations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 3: Individuals may leave their places of residence\nto visit any essential or nonessential business authorized to open under the\nterms of this Resolution but are encouraged to comply with the \u201cSafer at Home\u201d\nand \u201cShelter in Place\u201d provisions of Executive Order 1477 to the greatest\nextent possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 4: All businesses, agencies and units of government\nlocated within the City of Oxford shall continue to take all reasonable\nmeasures to ensure that such businesses comply with the CDC and the Mississippi\nDepartment of Health recommendations and guidance, and shall implement\nappropriate safeguards to prevent the spread of infectious disease, including\nbut not limited to: mandating social distancing, sending home sick employees\nand actively encouraging sick employees to stay home, separating and sending\nhome employees who appear to have respiratory illness symptoms, emphasizing\nwork-from-home policies where possible, mandating respiratory etiquette and\nproper hand hygiene, maintaining clean and sanitary workplaces, cautioning\nemployees regarding travel, and taking all such additional measures to prohibit\nand\/or reduce the spread of infectious disease, and especially COVID-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 5: The Mayor may issue such other orders as are\nnecessary for the protection of life and liberty. The Mayor is also empowered\nand authorized to interpret the terms of this Resolution and any executive\norder incorporated and referenced herein to the extent necessary to enforce\nthis resolution or any such order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 6: The penalties for violation of this adopted\nresolution shall be the same as those listed in the ordinance amending Chapter\n1, Code of Ordinances of the City of Oxford, Mississippi \u2013 General Provisions,\nwhich the City of Oxford adopted on or about March 18, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 7: The City, in consultation with its Emergency\nManagement Coordinator, local health care professionals, and with consideration\nfor national and State guidance, shall continuously monitor conditions to\ndetermine certain milestones, peaks, and trajectories for the presence of\nCOVID-19 in the Oxford, Lafayette County, and local University of Mississippi\ncommunities, and shall change restrictions and requirements in a phased manner\nas further outlined in the Plan. In the event a later peak in active COVID-19\ncases is identified, the Mayor and Board shall consider whether further\nrestrictions are necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 8: To the extent Executive Order 1477 precludes the\nopening of any nonessential retail business that would otherwise be allowed to\nbe opened by this Resolution or the Plan, the restrictions of Executive Order\n1477 shall govern. The intent of this Resolution is not to be less restrictive\nthan Executive Order 1477 in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0All of this goes into effect at 8 am, Wendesday, April 29, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Video of the Board of Aldermen meeting may be watched here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n