Governor says loneliness a concern during shelter-in-place order

Racial disparity reported in COVID-19 cases in Mississippi.

DOWN WITH THE VIRUS TONIGHT.

THEGOVERNOR AND HEALTH OFFICIALSTALKED ABOUT THAT TODAY DURING APRESSBRIEFING EARLIER TODAY...16 WAPT'S SCOTT SIMMONS WASTHEREAND JOINS US LIVE AT FIVE.SCOTT... THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT STILLCOMPILING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OFDATA EACHDAY ABOUT WHO IS COMING DOWNWITH THEVIRUS.NO HARD STATISTICS YET BUTHEALTH OFFICIALS SAY IT APPEARSAFRICAN AMERICANS ARE GETTINGIT MORE THAN OTHERS...THE STATE HAS TESTED MORE21-THOUSANDPEOPLE IN THE STATE.

MORE THAN19-HUNDREDHAVE TESTED POSITIVE.STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST PAUL BYERSSAYS THE EARLY NUMBERS SHOW THATA LITTLE BETTERTHAN 50 PERCENT OF THOSE TESTINGPOSITIVEFOR THIS IN MISSISSIPPI AREAFRICAAMERICAN...BUT THEY ARE STILLNOT SURE WHY.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT 50PERCENT MAYBE A LITTLE MORE INCASES OCCURING IN AFRICANAMERICANS, WE ARE ALSO SEEINHGMORE THAN 50% OF THE DEATHSOCCURING IN AFRICANAMERICANS ...THIS IS TROUBLINGOBVIOUSLY.I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT,I KNOW THAT THESEARE CHALLENGING TIMES BUT I ALSOKNOW THAT WE CAN STICKTOGETHER NO MATTER WHERE WE COMEFROM , NO MATTER OURGEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY, NO MATTEROUR POLITICALAFFILIATION IF WE CAN STICKTOGETHER FOR THE NEXT SEVERALWEEKS AND FLATTEN OUR CURVE THENWE CAN COME OUT OFTHIS.BYERS DID GO ON TO SAY THEMAJORITY OF THOSETESTING POSITIVE ARE OVER THEAGE OF 60 ANDHAVE SOME UNDERLYING HEALTHCONDITION.

OTHER NEWS ..THE STATE STARTINGANEMERGENCY BUSINESS OPERATIONSWEBSITE ..SO BUSINESS WHO CANOFFER SERVICES IN THISCRISIS CAN STEP IN.

WE HAVE MOREON THAT ATOUR WEBSITE AT WAPT- DOT-COM;LIVE IN JACKSON SCOTT SIMMONS 16WAPT NEWS.THE MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCYMANAGEMENT AGENCY SAYS PUBLICAS