COVID shutters eateries
As coronavirus cases continue to pile up across the state, one eatery in Madison has had to temporarily shutter its doors after an employee tested positive.
El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant on Highway 51 announced over the weekend it would close until it received negative test results for the rest of its employees.
“When we opened up for in-house dining we knew that we were taking a risk, as well as customers who come in to eat in an enclosed space and not making diners wear masks,” a release said. “We have tried our best to follow all guidelines to avoid infection… But in a restaurant, where masks cannot be worn at all times, that is almost an impossible goal to achieve.”
The restaurant is one of several in the Jackson metro that have had to close their doors weeks after being allowed to reopen.
Babalu, a popular taco and tapas restaurant in the Fondren area of Jackson, closed over the weekend and Tokyo Tasty, a buffet-style Japanese restaurant in Northeast Jackson, announced it would temporarily close.
The closures come as the virus becomes ever-more prevalent across the state and nation, even as the state’s death rate has declined 31% since May.
In Mississippi, outbreaks in DeSoto, Pontotoc, Grenada, Carroll and Sunflower counties have pushed the state’s daily average of new cases to 617.6, up from 317.8 two weeks ago.
Madison County has reported 1,222 cases of the virus — third amongst Mississippi’s 82 counties behind Hinds and Desoto. That total grew by 188 cases in the past week, an 18.8 percent increase. Three Madison Countians died in the last week, bringing that total to 34 since the start of the pandemic.
COVID-related hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care are also trending in the wrong direction. Health Department data show Mississippi has 579 hospitalized patients with confirmed cases (up from 483 on June 20) and 207 more with symptoms waiting for test results. It also has 160 patients in an ICU - a number that has been steady since the start of June - and 85 breathing with assistance from a ventilator.
The overwhelming majority of patients who test positive for the virus have not required hospitalization. MSDH is presuming 19,388 of the 27,900 COVID patients have recovered, and data shows 75 percent have not been admitted to hospitals. Just 14 percent of those with confirmed cases have checked into a hospital. It is unclear whether the remaining 11.1 percent of patients required hospitalization of any kind.
Still, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said last week the sharp rise in cases could lead to problems for hospitals in hotspots across the state.