Editorial Roundup: Mississippi

Recent editorials from Mississippi newspapers:

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April 28

The Vicksburg Post on putting furloughed workers to use in other capacities during the pandemic:

There are not many cities the size of Vicksburg with the number of professionals who possess the marketing talent, wit and creativity that we do.

From the team at the Downtown Vicksburg Main Street office to those who work in the tourism industry, particularly those at the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, to the creative folks at the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce, to those who work to promote the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s programs, the events at our four casinos, and those who attract tens of thousands of people to Sports Force Parks on the Mississippi, Vicksburg is blessed with those who know how to promote and market the best our community has to offer and what our community can do.

It is just one of the reasons why our local tourism economy has thrived and become our economy’s number one industry.

But, with the economic slowdown and restrictions placed on gatherings and business operations such as parks, museums and the closing of casinos, the energies placed in enticing people to come to Vicksburg has become far less important.

Just las week, the VCVB announced it was furloughing employees and trimming 30 per cent from its operating budget. When city employees were put on rotation schedules and some departments temporarily shuttered, part of the Downtown Vicksburg team was sent home.

But, now is the time to call that team together. It is time to turn their attention, their talents inward instead of outward.

At a me when our local businesses must first depend on us — the local residents to survive — promoting them, their services and their merchandise has never been more important.

There have been individual efforts by the team at the chamber and the VCVB to promote restaurants, but there is far more to our locally-owned business economy than just restaurants.

Just imagine what this team could do if given the direction, the leadership and the combined resources to tell the story of what Vicksburg and Warren County’s businesses have to offer to every man, woman and child in this and neighbouring counties.

If we are hoping for a quick bounce in the economy when restrictions are lied, then we need to invest the me and money to give that bounce the very best chance. We have the talent and they have the me. Don’t continue to cut their staff and services. Instead, put them to use.

Online: https://www.vicksburgpost.com

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April 24

The Daily Journal on utilizing coronavirus antibody testing in Mississippi:

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, we also continue to learn more about the disease and the virus that causes it. Most remains unknown, a frustrating reality for our national, state and local leaders who must craft public policy with only partial information.

One of the most significant questions that remains unanswered: just how widely has COVID-19 truly spread throughout the country, and, more specifically, in the state of Mississippi?

Experts have long presumed that the spread of COVID-19 is wider than officially reported numbers. From the beginning, testing has prioritized those patients with obvious symptoms, or those who are already in the hospital. That means patients with mild symptoms or those with no symptoms at all have not been identified.

To fill this significant gap in our knowledge, Mississippi needs to consider the feasibility of a massive antibody test, regardless of the cost.

The kind of diagnostic COVID-19 testing in use throughout the country indicates whether a patient has the disease right now. Antibody testing helps find patients who had the disease and have already recovered.

Some antibody testing in New York City, Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions has already occurred. This testing indicates that COVID-19 infections are far higher than the number of confirmed cases.

The New York City data actually suggests one in five residents of that city may have already been infected by COVID-19, with many of those people never knowing they even had it.

If these studies hold up to scrutiny, it would be very good news with respect to the death rate of this pandemic, bringing it well below the commonly heard estimate of 1 per cent.

In a recent press briefing, Mississippi’s State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs did offer some caution. He said these serology-based tests have caused “a lot of excitement, but also a lot of doubt.”

Dobbs added that surveillance rather than diagnosis is the primary function of antibody testing. And that is exactly why we believe the state should consider a widespread antibody testing across the state. Gov. Tate Reeves has praised Mississippi as a testing leader. Widespread antibody testing for surveillance purposes would allow us to take the next step as a national leader.

We need a test led by our state that takes real statewide representative population samples that are also geographically responsible. We know Mississippians will step up and be tested. If the results fall in line with what has been found in places like California and New York City, this buoys a responsible opening of our society.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made this exact point.

“The testing also can tell you the infection rate in the population – where it’s higher, where it’s lower – to inform you on a reopening strategy,” Cuomo said, according to the New York Times.

We know social distancing is working and we must continue some form of it. Better data about the presence of COVID-19 could allow our state to responsibly determine just how to fine-tune our efforts to maintain the success we’ve seen. We must all remain responsible and careful, but extensive surveillance data can provide some comfort and direction as we ease open our social and economic lives.

Online: https://www.djournal.com

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April 23

The Dispatch on Gov. Tate Reeves’ appointments to a new economic recovery advisory committee:

When Gov. Tate Reeves announced that he had formed an advisory committee to make plans for the state’s economic recovery, he noted the geographic diversity of 17-member group, which includes members from all over the state, including the Golden Triangle.

The executive team of the group, called Restart Mississippi, is comprised of five white men, all political allies of the Governor and all wealthy businessmen. The committee is chaired by Sanderson Farms CEO and Chairman of the Board Joe Sanderson.

While it makes perfect sense to include the business community in helping create a strategy for recovery — including when and how that recovery takes place — we are dismayed by several aspects of the committee.

There are no medical experts on the committee nor is there anyone who represents the voice of the average wage-earner, the group that will assume most of whatever health risks are involved in returning to work even as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread.

Similarly, there is little representation of the state’s black population. Columbus businessman Jabari Edwards is one of two African Americans on the committee. African Americans are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with much higher rates of infection and death than are seen in white populations.

When asked why no working people were included on the committee, Reeves flippantly said, “We don’t need union bosses to tell us how to take care of our people.”

That response strongly suggests that Reeves has no real interest in allowing workers to have any say in how the state will use an estimated $1.25 billion in federal funds appropriated by Congress to aid in the state’s economic recovery.

The absence of medical experts on the committee is even more alarming. There are no infectious disease experts; there are no nurses; there aren’t even any hospital administrators on the committee. It ignores the fact that COVID-19 is, first and foremost, a public health issue. It is inconceivable that there will be not a single voice who could be expected to balance any inevitable conflict between business and health concerns.

COVID-19 has dramatically affected nearly every aspect of life in our state, and the expertise from multiple perspectives is imperative to restarting the economy in a responsible and effective way.

The Restart Mississippi committee represents a very small group of Mississippians.

It is not an honest effort to serve the people of the state and all the diverse needs and concerns they represented.

It’s all business and — apparently — none of our business.

Online: https://www.cdispatch.com