GOVERNOR TATE REEVES.
I WILL ASK ABOUT THE RISING
CORONAVIRUS CASES IN A MOMENT
BUT FIRST, YOU AND YOUR STATE
HAD A HISTORIC MOMENT YESTERDAY
REMOVING THE CONFEDERATE SYMBOL
FROM YOUR FLAG.
I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE ON IT.
HE SAID IF THE LEGISLATURE SENT
IT TO YOU YOU WOULD SIGN IT.
DID YOU ANTICIPATE IT WOULD
HAPPEN?
>> I DID, AS I WATCH THE PROCESS
OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS.
IT BECAME MORE CLEAR THAT MORE
AND MORE PEOPLE WERE GETTING ON
BOARD TO MAKE THIS DECISION TO
RETIRE THE 1894 FLAG BUT I’LL
TELL YOU IT REQUIRED A
TWO-THIRDS VOTE OF THE HOUSE AND
SENATE AS WE LOOK AT IT LATE
LAST WEEK, IT APPEARED WAS
BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT
FOR THEM TO DO SO AND THAT’S THE
REASON I DECIDED THAT I NEEDED
TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE AND SAY
THAT I WOULD SIGN THE
LEGISLATION WHICH I WILL TELL
YOU WE DID YESTERDAY IN A SOLEMN
CEREMONY AT THE GOVERNOR’S
MANSION.
WE HAVE THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEMBER OF THE
MISSISSIPPI SUPREME COURT, THE
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEMBER TO
HOLD A DISTRICT OFFICE IN OUR
STATE.
WE HAD THE LEADER OF THE
LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS, WE HAD
OUR SPEAKER AND OUR LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR.
WE SIGNED THE LEGISLATION TO
MOVE THE 1894 FLAG INTO A PLACE
WHERE WE CAN FOCUS ON OUR FUTURE
FUTURE.
>> Dana: I WANTED TO ASK YOU
ABOUT THAT.
DID YOU GET A FEELING THAT THIS
ALLOWS MISSISSIPPI TO LAUNCH
FORWARD AND PERHAPS A NEW PHASE
OF THE STATES HISTORY?
>> WHAT I WOULD TELL YOU IS THAT
MY GOAL THROUGHOUT THE LAST
SEVERAL WEEKS IN DEALING AND
WORKING WITH PEOPLE IS TO
LISTEN.
I HAVE DONE A LOT OF LISTENING.
I’VE DONE A LOT OF PRAYING.
I HAVE WORKED WITH PEOPLE
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.
I REALLY LISTENED TO THOSE AND
WHAT IT BECAME CLEAR, WE WILL
HAVE A CONVERSATION AND THAT’S
BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT
CONVERSATION BUT YOU KNOW,
OFTENTIMES CONVERSATION AMONG
FAMILIES DIFFICULT.
I HAVE HEARD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
THE EYES OF THE NATION WERE ON
OUR STATE.
I WASN’T ALL THAT FOCUS ON THE
EYES OF THE NATION.
I WAS FOCUSED ON LOOKING IN THE
EYES OF MY FELLOW MISSISSIPPIANS
AND MAKING SURE WE CAN ALL BE
PROUD OF OUR SYMBOLS AND BE
PROUD OF MOVING OUR STATE INTO
THE FUTURE.
>> Dana: I APPRECIATE THAT AND
I DO WANT TO ASK, IT COMES IN A
TIME OF THE NATION’S DEALING
WITH THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
IF YOU HEARD THAT THOSE NUMBERS
ARE UP.
I KNOW IN MISSISSIPPI, CONFIRMED
CASES, 7,095, AN INCREASE OF
35%.
YOUR CURRENT HOSPITALIZATIONS
ARE 16% AND WE KNOW THAT BLACK
AMERICANS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED
QUITE NEGATIVELY BY CORONAVIRUS.
HOW ARE YOU ADDRESSING IT
ESPECIALLY AS WE GO INTO THE
HOLIDAY WEEKEND?
I KNOW THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL
MISSISSIPPI BEACHES ARE CALLING
TO PEOPLE TO COME AND VISIT.
>> THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT AS WE
ARE LOOKING AT OUR NUMBERS,
WE’VE SEEN INCREASES IN CASES UP
UNTIL A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WE HAD
NEVER HAD MORE THAN A DAY OR TWO
WITH MORE THAN 400 CASES.
IN THE LAST TEN DAYS, WE’VE HAD
ONE DAY OVER 1,000 AND IN THE
LAST THREE DAYS, OVER 600 NEW
CASES.
THERE’S NO DOUBT COMMUNITY
SPREAD IS OCCURRING IN OUR
STATE.
WE ARE MONITORING IT VERY
CLOSELY, WORKING WITH OUR STATE
HEALTH OFFICERS.
I’M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE
WE ARE IN THIS COUNTRY.
I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE
WE ARE IN OUR STATE.
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE UP AND I’M
CONCERNED THAT ELECTIVE
SURGERIES WHICH WE ARE CURRENTLY
ALLOWING, THE COMBINATION OF FAT
IN THE NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES ARE
CERTAINLY MAKING OUR HOSPITAL
UTILIZATION GO UP.
WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE SOME TOUGH
DECISIONS IN THE FUTURE, NO
DOUBT ABOUT IT.
>> Dana: WHAT KIND OF
DECISIONS WITH THOSE BE?
YOU REOPENED EARLY, EARLY JUNE.
DO YOU SEE A SCENARIO WHERE YOU
WOULD EITHER HAVE TO MANDATE
MASS QUERYING OR EVEN SUGGEST
BUSINESSES CLOSE DOWN AGAIN?
>> DANA, WE DID A PHASED-IN
REOPENING.
WE ONLY SHUT DOWN OUR ECONOMY
FOR LESS THAN THREE WEEKS IN
MISSISSIPPI.
WE WERE ABLE TO SLOW THE SPREAD.
WE NEVER HAD A GOAL OF STOPPING
THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS BECAUSE
WE DIDN’T BELIEVE THAT WAS
REALISTIC.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT OUR JOB WAS TO
SLOW THE SPREAD.
OUR GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO
ENSURE EVERY SINGLE MISSISSIPPI
AND THEY COULD GET QUALITY CARE
AND GET BETTER WITH QUALITY CARE
RECEIVED THAT QUALITY CARE.
WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH
THAT.
HOSPITAL UTILIZATION IS GOING
UP.
WE WERE PROBABLY GOING TO EXPAND
THE CAPACITY IN OUR RESTAURANTS
RIGHT NOW.
WE ONLY HAVE HALF THE CAPACITY
IN OUR RESTAURANTS.
WE HAVE DECIDED NOT TO DO THAT.
WE ARE STILL ALLOWING FOR OUR
BEACHES TO REMAIN OPEN.
WE ARE REQUIRING SOCIAL
DISTANCING.
WE HAVE NOT REQUIRED MASKS.
THE WAY WE LOOK AT IT IS WE HAVE
REQUIRED MASKS AND EIGHT OR TEN
DIFFERENT COUNTIES AND VARIOUS
TIMES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SLOW
THE SPREAD.
WE’VE GOT A DEAL WITH IT ON A
COUNTY BY COUNTY BASIS AND WE
HAVE 82 COUNTIES IN OUR STATE,
RATHER THAN A STATEWIDE BASIS.
WERE NOT STEALING NEARLY AS MUCH
SPREAD IN SOME AREAS AS WE ARE