To help Hattiesburg residents and visitors make better decisions, Mayor Toby Barker updated his March 17 executive order during a Saturday announcement, severely limiting social interaction beginning Sunday.

“After looking at our own community data and conferring with our medical professionals, we decided to move forward with updating the restrictions that were included in the executive order from Tuesday,” Barker said. “It also reflects the guidelines that the Department of Health issued on Friday night.”

  • In-house dining or available sitting areas will be closed in all Hattiesburg restaurants. Only take-out, pick-up, delivery, or drive-through services will be available, whether the restaurant has drive-in or drive-through services.
  • Bars, taverns, lounges, and nightclubs shall close, except only to provide take-out, pick-up, delivery, or drive-through services for food as allowed by law.
  • Public and common areas in malls, including food courts, shall close.
  • Entertainment venues, such as skating rinks and bowling alleys, shall close.
  • Movie theaters shall remain closed until April 30.
  • All dance hall permits remain suspended.
  • Gatherings of more than 10 people for any event shall not be allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, church services, weddings, concerts and other entertainment events.
  • Funerals shall also be limited to 10 or fewer people. Graveside services are encouraged; however, indoor services and viewings are permitted, as long as there are 10 or fewer people inside at one time. Funeral home directors are encouraged to live-stream services for those who cannot attend. Funeral home directors should also follow all CDC guidelines as it relates to visitations, viewings and funerals.
  • All gyms and fitness centers shall be closed.

“The potential for this to carry on for two to three more months is real,” Barker said. “This alone should be a sobering thought for anyone. We are about to be stretched like never before. And, when we make decisions like this; when we take into account those who will be adversely affected economically; when we think about those who are sick right now; when we think about our doctors and nurses out and the risks they are taking on . . . it should make it really easy for us to just stay home and make good decisions.”