As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the planet, Marion County is holding its own despite businesses reopening.
As of press time Thursday, there have been 116 cases here, up just two from a week earlier. Nine people from Marion County have died.
Across the state at press time Thursday there were 16,560 cases with 11,203 cases being presumed to be recovered and 794 deaths.
Gov. Tate Reeves has officially allowed all businesses that have been shut down since the beginning of the shelter in place order on March 25 to reopen. While some businesses still have restrictions, all are allowed to operate.
The Columbia Police Department on Tuesday began again offering services, such as fingerprints and background checks, by appointment only.
The Marion County Development Partnership has been distributing signs to businesses that have been shut down to post in the windows to show the public they are open and ready for business.
Slowly restaurants are starting to open their dining rooms for customers to dine-in. While there are some that are still only doing curb-side and drive-through, more and more each week are offering dine-service again.
Also, Reeves announced this week the Department of Motor Vehicles will reopen on Monday. Visits will be only allowed on the day of the week that corresponds with the first letter of last names. Walk-ins will be allowed on Wednesdays.
"Let’s be honest, they were a mess before. The pent-up demand created by the pandemic is only going to make existing problems worse. We think we’ve got a plan in place to make it run as safely and smoothly as possible, but there is a lot of structural work we’ve got to do for a real fix," Reeves said in a news release.
The stations have been closed since March 14 when the coronavirus pandemic hit the state.
Here is the daily schedule for visits per last names:
- Monday: A-E
- Tuesday: F-L
- Wednesday: "Walk-in Wednesday"
- Thursday: M-S
- Friday: T-Z
Reeves said he strongly encourages that people wear face coverings, such as cloth masks, when they are inside the stations.
Services available are also limited to reduce the number of people visiting the stations to help limit transmission. The following services will be available at permanent driver license stations:
- CDL Transactions
- Out of State Transfers
- New Credentials
- New Identification Card Credentials
- Security Guard Permits (Wednesdays only)
- Sex Offender Registration
- Permit tests for students
- Reinstatements
- Non-U.S. Citizens
- Ignition-Interlock Restricted Licenses
Renewals, ID cards and address changes can be done online at driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov.
