Established 1879 | Columbus, Mississippi
CDISPATCH.COM
3 new COVID-19 deaths in Golden Triangle
Gov. Reeves extends shelter in place order until April 27
DISPATCH STAFF REPORT
The Lowndes and Oktib-
beha county coroners con-
firmed three deaths from the
COVID-19 coronavirus Thurs-
day, bringing the death toll in
the Golden Triangle up to four.
A man at Baptist Memorial
Hospital-Golden Triangle died
of COVID-19 Thursday morn-
Supes add
$92K to budget
for LCSO,
delay action on
storm shelters
Sheriff’s office
to get new uniforms,
bulletproof vests
BY YUE STELLA YU
syu@cdispatch.com
Lowndes supervi-
sors on Wednesday
added $92,000 to
the Lowndes Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office
budget, including
$65,000 for new uni-
forms and $27,000 to
Hawkins
match a federal grant
to buy bulletproof vests.
The board voted Wednesday to
amend the budget to cover the new
costs. New uniforms for all LCSO
employees will total about $85,000,
said Sheriff Eddie Hawkins, but
the department has $20,000 in its
budget for uniform purchases.
Some employees will have three
sets of everyday uniforms where-
as others will receive class-A uni-
forms, which are for occasions
such as court appearances, Haw-
kins told The Dispatch. Currently,
employees wear clothes of different
colors to work, he said.
“The problem that I have right
now about uniforms is there’s noth-
ing uniform about it,” Hawkins said
during the meeting. “What I’m try-
ing to do is to build morale and a
more professional department.”
Supervisors also made budget
See SUPES, 3A
Area municipal util-
ities are grappling
with mounting delin-
quent bills during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
At Columbus Light and
Water, General Man-
ager Todd Gale said
about 1,000 customers
are behind. While the
state’s shelter in place
order persists, those
customers are protect-
ed from disconnection.
Gale said once that or-
der is lifted, customers
could set up 12-month
payment plans to catch
up on their bills.
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Friday | April 17, 2020
not immediately release further
details about either patient.
ter in place order for seven
more days, while taking some
ing, marking Lowndes Coun- Center were the second and An 89-year-old woman died new steps to help Mississippi-
ty’s first death from the virus. third COVID-19 deaths in the at OCH on April 5 and was the ans mentally and financially,”
Lowndes County Coroner Greg county. first COVID-19 death in both Reeves said. “We are easing the
Merchant did not identify the One man, age 62, died Oktibbeha County and the brakes on ‘non-essential’ busi-
individual but said he was an Wednesday night and had come Golden Triangle. nesses. I wanted to announce
“elderly” man. He did not imme- to OCH from a long-term care Gov. Tate Reeves announced that we can all ease up and re-
diately release further details. facility, Hunt said. The second in a Facebook Live broadcast open today, but we can’t. We are
Oktibbeha County Coro- man was 63 years old and died this morning he had extended still in the eye of the storm.”
ner Michael Hunt confirmed Thursday morning. the state’s shelter in place order The briefing was ongoing at
Thursday afternoon that two Both men had underlying until April 27. press time.
men at OCH Regional Medical medical conditions. Hunt did “I have to extend the shel- See COVID-19, 3A
African Americans in Mississippi
disproportionately affected by COVID-19
‘It’s hard to undo decades of mistrust and concern about cost’
BY YUE STELLA YU
syu@cdispatch.com
Customers walked around her, COVID-19 Deaths
coughing.
Rubbing alcohol and gloves by Race through
were in short supply. The masks
she wore, she made April 15 in Mississippi
herself. Some of her INSIDE
n OUR VIEW:
coworkers, scared, We know Black or African American
had stopped coming blacks are
to work. But not her. heavily affect-
Beyond five sick ed by COVID
but why?
66 percent
days a year, she said,
“everything is up
Page 4A White
in the air” as far as
paid leave if she becomes ill with 34 percent
COVID-19.
Deemed essential, however, the
retail store worker — who request-
ed anonymity out of fear of losing
her job — has to help make ends As of Wednesday evening, African Americans accounted for 56 percent
meet for her family of three, even of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state and 66 percent of the state’s
COVID-19 deaths, state data shows. The ethnic group only accounts for 38
when that means she needs to gam-
percent of the state’s population, according to the latest data from the U.S.
ble with her health during a pan- Census Bureau. — Information from the Mississippi Department of Health
demic that has killed tens of thou-
sands nationwide. experts and community leaders. cent of confirmed COVID-19 cases
“Basically, either you work or State-level statistics show black in the state and 66 percent of the
you could lose your job,” she told Mississippians account for a higher state’s COVID-19 deaths, data from
The Dispatch. “So I feel like I have rate of confirmed coronavirus cases the Mississippi State Department of
to go. … I’m scared every day.” and deaths compared to whites. Health shows.
She is one of many black Mis- A combination of factors appears But the ethnic group accounts
sissippians who must work front- to contribute to those numbers — for only 38 percent of Mississippi’s
line jobs to make a living amid the economic disadvantage, mistrust of population, according to the latest
coronavirus outbreak. In the store
institutions, a higher rate of under- estimate from the U.S. Census Bu-
where she works, she said, all of her
lying health conditions and limited reau. In Columbus, they accounted
coworkers are black.
access to health care. for 63.5 percent of the city’s popula-
The prevalence of contact-inten-
sive work among black Americans tion in 2018.
helped lead to a disproportionately ‘Whopping, lopsided mortality’ “It’s been a whopping, lopsided
heavy impact the pandemic has on As of Wednesday evening, Af- mortality when we look at Afri-
the state’s black communities, said rican Americans made up 56 per- See AFRICAN AMERICANS, 6A
CLW deals with mounting delinquencies
Municipal utilities looking for individual customers
who could suffer discon-
at plans for ‘returning nection due to delinquent
payments. Currently, 8
to normal’ after pandemic percent — more than 1,000
customers — are at risk of
BY THEO DEROSA
tderosa@cdispatch.com
being disconnected.
While that order is in Gale
Columbus Light and Water leaders al- place, CLW and other util-
ready are forming plans to return to nor- ities across the state are not disconnect-
mal after the COVID-19 pandemic. ing utilities for lack of payment, but the
During Thursday’s virtual board of di- bills are racking up.
rectors meeting, General Manager Todd Gale described a plan — which, he told
Dispatch file photo Gale addressed the idea of arrangements See CLW, 6A
FIVE QUESTIONS A NOTE LOCAL FOLKS PUBLIC
1 What “Born in the U.S.A.” rocker published a ON NEWS MEETINGS
kids’ book about a bank-robbing baby in 2014? ■ Many April 21:
2 For decades, what birds returned every year COVID-19 corona- Columbus City
on March 19 to Mission San Juan Capistrano in virus related sto- Council, 5 p.m.,
California from their winter home in Argentina? ries are changing Municipal Complex
3 What company boasts a distinctive green croc- extremely quick- May 4: Lowndes
odile logo that proudly appears on its clothing?
4 What is traditionally hidden in a Mardi Gras ly, sometimes County Board
as soon as we of Supervisors,
king cake — a hot pepper, a tiny plastic baby
publish a print 9 a.m., County
doll, or a small crown?
5 What puppet and Conan O’Brien guest often edition of the Courthouse
visits events like the MTV Video Music Awards
and Republican National Convention?
paper. We want May 11: Colum-
to assure our bus Municipal
Answers, 6B readers that we School District,
are making every 6 p.m., Brandon
attempt to print Central Services
accurate, timely Center
INSIDE news. Online sto- May 15: Lown-
Classifieds 6B Obituaries 5A ries are updated des County Board
Comics 3B Opinions 4A throughout the of Supervisors,
Crossword 2B Religion 5B day at cdispatch. Sylvester Jones, of Starkville, loves 9 a.m., County
Dear Abby 3B com. playing football. Courthouse
DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471
 The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 3A

Reeves: Economic woes from virus are ‘insane’

Mississippi processed more than 129,500 because of the high demand.
“It’s now a 14,000 percent
operations, have furloughed
workers.
with existing health problems,
the highly contagious virus
jobless claims between March 14 and April 11 increase in lost Mississippi
jobs. Many more still can’t get
The state Health Depart-
ment said Thursday that Mis-
can cause severe symptoms
and be fatal.
BY EMILY WAGSTER PET TUS Mississippi processed more through because of the surge,” sissippi had at least 3,624 con- The Mississippi Department
The Associated Press than 129,500 unemployment Republican Reeves said Thurs- firmed cases and 129 deaths of Corrections said Thursday
claims between March 14 and day on Twitter. “This is insane from the coronavirus as of that four inmates have tested
JACKSON — — the bleeding has to stop. Wednesday evening. That was
April 11, according to numbers positive for the coronavirus.
Mississippi Gov. Lives depend on this as well. an increase of 264 cases and
released Thursday by the U.S. The first of those cases was
Tate Reeves said Please pray for wisdom as we seven deaths from the previous
Employment and Training Ad- announced earlier this week —
Thursday that consider all options. Our peo- day. The state’s population is
economic prob- ministration. Reeves has said an inmate who had been in the
ple can’t take much more.” about 3 million.
lems caused by the usual number is no more State Penitentiary at Parchman
Grocery stores, pharmacies Cases have been confirmed
the coronavirus than 1,000 a week. and several other types of busi- in at least 65 long-term care fa- and died in a hospital. After his
pandemic are The Mississippi Department nesses that are considered es- cilities, such as nursing homes, death, a test confirmed he had
“insane” as the Reeves of Employment Security is on a sential have remained open un- the department said. COVID-19. One of the other in-
state — like other parts of the seven-day-a-week schedule and der Reeves’s order. Restaurants For most people, the corona- mates who tested positive is in
U.S. — continues to see steep has brought in extra workers to are allowed to offer drive-thru virus causes mild or moderate Parchman. The other two are
increases in the number of peo- process claims, but people are or carry-out services. Many symptoms, such as fever and in a regional facility, but the de-
ple filing for unemployment still having trouble reaching businesses, including automo- cough. But for others, espe- partment did not disclose the
benefits. the agency to apply for benefits tive and tire manufacturing cially older adults and people location.

Death toll rises for 2-day outbreak of storms in the South

Storm Prediction Center: Long-range forecast shows Forecast teams check-
ing for damage found 105
mined Alabama had the
most twisters, 21 begin-
as, where six were con-
firmed, to Maryland,
another risk of severe weather across the region Sunday storm tracks that totaled ning on Easter Sunday where survey teams de-
more than 770 miles in all. afternoon, but no one was termined two weak twist-
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday reported two The acting U.S. secre- The worst storm was an killed in the state. An- ers struck.
additional deaths. tary of homeland securi- EF-4 tornado that was on other 20 tornadoes were The long-range fore-
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The National Weather ty, Chad Wolf, is traveling
— The death toll has risen the ground for nearly 68 confirmed in neighboring cast from the Storm Pre-
to at least 36 from the two- Service said more than to south Mississippi on miles and claimed several Georgia, where eight peo- diction Center shows
day outbreak of strong 100 tornadoes struck the Friday to look at tornado lives in southeastern Mis- ple died. there is another risk of
storms that pounded the South on Sunday and damage in the Pine Belt sissippi, a report showed. Tornadoes reached severe weather across the
South, as Mississippi on Monday. region. Forecasters deter- from the west in Tex- region Sunday.

Supes
Continued from Page 1A
room for $27,000 to match
a 50-50 federal grant for
the bulletproof vests.
Some vests the depart-
ment uses are wearing
out, Hawkins said.
Board of Supervisors
President Harry Sanders
told The Dispatch Thurs-
day he thinks the money
is needed to protect the
safety of the county’s en-
forcement officers.
“I think that’s a
no-brainer that we fur-
nish them with all the
protective items we can
to protect our police offi-
cers anyway that we can,”
he said.
It’s also important for
the sheriff’s department
to wear matching uni-
forms, Sanders said.
But the supervisors
were reluctant to give the
greenlight to a $28,000
purchase of three storm
shelters for road depart-
ment employees across
the county following the
Sanders Smith
Easter Sunday tornado,
which swept through
Mississippi and caused
12 deaths statewide. The
board postponed the deci-
sion until its first meeting
in May.
The road department
has six stations across
the county, but only three
are furnished with storm
shelters, District 4 Su-
pervisor Jeff Smith said.
Workers at the other
three stations in Caledo-
nia, Crawford and on Jess
Lyon Road, he said, do not
have a place to shelter in
threatening storms.
“Those (shelters) are
essential for the county
workers who respond
to any weather event we
may have in the commu-
nity,” he said.
Smith told The Dis-
patch the three 8-by-12-
foot shelters would each
cost roughly $5,000,
according to the quotes
County Emergency Ser-
vices Director Cindy Law-
rence received from local
vendors. With additional
costs for installation and
transportation, the pur-
chase would not exceed
$28,000, he said.
The money could
come from amending the
budget of the board or the
road department, he said
during the meeting.
Sanders suggested
Wednesday the road de-
partment could build
storm shelters them-
selves and therefore re-
duce the cost.
“They do all kinds of
constructions already,”
he said.
Sanders told The Dis- shelters in the east part of But, he said, the mon-
patch Thursday the board the county, he said, “we ey, which he said could
will vote to buy the storm are pretty much at the reach hundreds of thou-
shelters at the next meet- mercy of the Lord.” sands of dollars, would
ing if the road department Sanders suggested need to be budgeted and
cannot build them. Wednesday that the board phased out in the next
“If we can do it cheap- could work to set up shel- three or four years.
er, we’ll do it ourselves,” ters in every community “You are talking
he said. “If we can’t do center and volunteer fire about probably $50,000
it cheaper, we’ll buy the departments across the or $60,000 per shelter,”
(prefabricated shelters).” county, which he told The Sanders said. “And if you
During the meeting, Dispatch totals about 20 are going to have 20 shel-
the board also discussed locations. ters … that’s $1 million.”
the necessity of building
storm shelters across the
county for the general
public, especially when
there is only one such
shelter in the county west
of the Tombigbee River.
The Easter Sunday tor-
nado, Smith said, could
have ripped through
Crawford where hun-
dreds of mobile homes
reside.
“It did turn,” Smith
said. “But that could
have been devastating for
Lowndes County.”
Aside from the storm

COVID-19
Continued from Page 1A
Mississippi State De-
partment of Health report-
ed on its website Thurs-
day morning that there
have been 129 deaths
from the virus statewide.
However, those numbers
are only through Wednes-
day night and did not in-
clude the Lowndes Coun-
ty or Oktibbeha County
deaths.
MSDH reported there
are at least 3,624 con-
firmed COVID-19 cases have been more than
in Mississippi, including 600,000 confirmed cases
42 in Oktibbeha County, and nearly 30,000 deaths
30 in Lowndes County, 21 from the virus.
in Clay County and 18 in
Noxubee County.
Nationwide, there

SOLUNAR TABLE
The solunar period indicates
peak-feeding times for fish and game.
Fri. Sat.
Major 9:23a 9:46p
Minor 4:25a 4:59a
Major — 10:08a
Minor 3:24p 4:19p
Courtesy of Mississippi Department
of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

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6A FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020
African Americans
Continued from Page 1A
can-American folks,” said
state health officer Dr.
Thomas Dobbs during a
conference with the Mis-
sissippi Legislative Black
Caucus (MLBC) last
week.
So far, MSDH has yet
to publish county-level
data on the racial break-
down of coronavirus cas-
es. Department spokes-
woman Liz Sharlot told
The Dispatch the data
sample size is too small
for a local data release.
The racial disparity is
emerging not only in Mis-
sissippi but also among
other southern states and
across the nation. Simi-
lar racial gaps have been
found in several cities like
Chicago and Milwaukee,
as well as in the state of
Louisiana.
A recent study by the
Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention also
concluded the disease
might disproportionately
affect black citizens.
‘We can’t afford
to be off’
Working as “front-line
workers” — such as gro-
cery clerks, postal work-
ers, sanitation or fast-food
workers — during the pan-
demic increases chances
of exposure to the coro-
navirus, said Dr. Sandra
Melvin, who chairs the
Health Committee of the
Mississippi Conference of
the NAACP.
Many African Amer-
icans who work those
jobs, however, do not have
a choice.
“We’ve got to work,
that’s how we are going to
take care of
our family.
We have
to be out
there,” said
Lavonne
Latham-
H a r r is ,
p r e s i d e n t Harris
of the
Columbus -L ow ndes
branch of the NAACP.
“By being at the front
line, we are also at the low
end of the pay scale.”
African Americans in
the state are at an eco-
nomic disadvantage com-
pared to whites, Melvin
said.
Roughly 22 percent
of the state’s population
lived below the poverty
CLW
Continued from Page 1A
The Dispatch after the
meeting, will “more likely
than not” be implement-
ed once Gov. Tate Reeves
lifts Mississippi’s shelter-
in-place order — where
customers could agree to
have the amount of their
missed utilities payments
divided over the ensuing
12 months. The aver-
age monthly bill is $140
to $150, he said, which
would mean customers
three months behind
would owe less than $40
per month as they work to
make up their debt.
“The only (other) way
to recoup some of these
losses would be a rate in-
crease, and we don’t want
to do that,” Gale said in
the meeting.
CLW board chair
Brandy Gardner agreed
that a rate
increase
would be
a misstep,
voic i n g
support for
Gale’s plan.
“I think
that’s a Gardner
great start,”
Gardner said in the meet-
ing. “I think that it kind of
gives people some kind of
peace of mind.”
Gale said that as of last
Friday, CLW customers
had unpaid debts totaling
about $230,000 — a num-
ber that has continued
to rise each day. But he
stressed that the utility
remains financially stable
Tell your child a bedtime story.
line in 2017, the latest year
data available from the
American Community
Survey five-year estimate,
a survey conducted by
the U.S. Census Bureau.
About 57 percent of those
who live in poverty were
black, whereas 36 percent
were white, data shows.
Rep. Kabir Karriem
(D-Columbus), vice
chair of the
MLBC, said
the finan-
cial burden
is too hard
to bear for a
lot of black
Mississippi-
ans. Karriem
“We can’t
afford to be
off,” he said.
Addition-
ally, African
A mer ic a ns
who live in
“c rowded”
households Taylor
with chil-
dren and extended family
may not even have a place
to self-quarantine if they
start showing symptoms,
said Chris Taylor, former
president of the Oktibbe-
ha County NAACP chap-
ter.
“If they have five or 10
(people) in the house they
are living in,” he said,
“how can you self-iso-
late?”
High rate of health
conditions, limited
access to care
Patients with under-
lying health issues are
more vulnerable to the
coronavirus than healthy
individuals, Dobbs said.
Compared to whites,
blacks have much higher
rates of hypertension, im-
munocompromised con-
ditions, cardiovascular
diseases, lung diseases
and diabetes, he said. The
rate of diabetes for blacks
is about seven times high-
er than in whites, he said.
Behind the high rate
of health problems, com-
munity leaders say, is the
hardship for blacks to
access affordable health
care.
Roughly 12 percent of
Mississippians were not
insured as of 2018.
“If we break that down
by race, 13.9 percent (of
African Americans) are
and has not yet needed
to pursue loans to make
ends meet.
Chief Financial Offi-
cer Mike Bernsen said at
T hursday’s
meeting
that while
CLW ex-
pected to
break even,
it actually
made a prof-
it on electric Bernsen
services in
March. The utility’s year-
to-date estimates show a
projected deficit of rough-
ly $200,000, Bernsen said
that figure is “not too bad”
considering the pandem-
ic’s volatility.
“We always look for
bright spots in dark
times,” Bernsen said.
“... People staying at
home, they’re turning the
switches on a lot more,
and they’re running the
faucets a lot more.”
SUD monitoring
situation, weighing
action
Starkville Utilities De-
partment General Man-
ager Terry Kemp told The
Dispatch on Thursday the
utility has been regularly
hearing from customers
concerned about shutoffs
and arrangements due to
the pandemic.
SUD, unlike CLW,
hasn’t seen a large in-
crease in the number of
customers who could be
The Dispatch • www.cdispatch.com
As of Wednesday evening, African Americans accounted for 56 percent of confirmed
COVID-19 cases in the state and 66 percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths, state
data shows. The ethnic group only accounts for 38 percent of the state’s popula-
tion, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
without insurance in Mis-
sissippi ... compared to
10.6 percent of whites,”
Melvin said.
The lack of health in-
surance coverage, Taylor
said, is leaving a lot of
black citizens helpless
when they need medical
attention.
Mobile coronavirus
testing sites require a
doctor’s referral, for ex-
ample.
“The people not get-
ting the care, they don’t
have a personal doctor,”
Taylor said. “The majori-
ty of the whites do have a
health care provider, but
blacks have to depend on
the (emergency rooms).
And when they go to the
ER, if it’s not life and
death, they are going to
send you home.
“They can be tested,”
he added, “but they’ll al-
most be dying by the time
they do get tested.”
Mistrust
Exacerbating these
problems is a mistrust
a m o n g
African
A mericans
of insti-
tutions,
said David
Buys, state
health spe-
cialist at Buys
Mississippi
State University.
“(That) maybe leads
African Americans to …
wait until they are further
along in the disease pro-
cess before they show up
subject to disconnection
— so far, anyway, the cus-
tomers whose financial
issues predated the pan-
demic comprise the bulk
of that population.
“We’ll probably have a
better feel for what that
number is
in about
two more
weeks when
we finish
a cycle,”
Kemp said.
“But right
now, it ap- Kemp
pears that
our numbers are pretty
consistent with what they
were prior to this virus
starting. It’s the same
group, and it goes back
prior to that, and so we’ve
not seen a big spike yet.
“Our hope is that in
the near future we’ll be
able to start back on our
normal practices, but
part of that is going to be
continuing to work with
people as their needs are
identified,” he added.
He said the utility is
making a push to ensure
its customers stay caught
up with their bills, which
can tend to get out of hand
after months without
making a payment.
“If people get three,
four months behind with
no payments, that amount
can be quite large,” Kemp
said.
He said SUD — which
has not taken out loans
and does not anticipate
to people in the Afri-
can-American communi-
ty and the virus wouldn’t
have hit so dispropor-
tionately,” Karriem said.
“We have to set up test-
ing shops inside the Afri-
can-American communi-
ties … and make it more
accessible.”
District Attorney Scott
Colom said there should
be a targeted approach to
reach those who are vul-
nerable to the virus and
offer them mobile testing.
“If a person in … pub-
lic housing has the coro-
navirus, it can more easily
spread because they are
Courtesy graphic/Mississippi Department of Health
living more condensed,”
he said.
Help is already avail-
able in Mississippi, with
free, mobile testing sites
for testing and for treat- work of those “local cham- across the state. The long-
ment,” Buys said. pions” may help dispel term solution, Karriem
The retail store worker rumors and spread accu-
said, would be to expand
echoed that point. rate, useful information,
Medicaid to cover more
“We’ve been taught Buys said. Specifically,
uninsured populations.
to not trust the govern- faith groups can help, too.
ment,” she said. “We’ve But for now, chances are
“I think ministers, par-
been taught by different ticularly in African-Amer- slim.
things that have hap- Even with the mea-
pened to people over the
ican communities, carry a
sures that are already in
lot of weight,” he said.
course of time.” Some local leaders place, misinformation and
Some African Amer- also pointed to the need lack means will continue
icans in her community to offer more tests to to be a challenge, Buys
believe in conspiracy the- Mississippians in need, said.
ories, she said, and that particularly in the black “It’s hard to undo de-
the pandemic is “not real.” communities. cades of mistrust and
“(They think) it’s just “I wish testing had concern about cost,” Buys
something the media is been more available said.
putting out,” she said.
“They felt that if it was
that time the Lord wanted
to (spread) the coronavi-
rus, they were going to
get it no matter what.”
That spread of misin-
formation puts those com-
munities more at risk,
Karriem said.
“There was a pletho-
ra of misinformation …
that African Americans
couldn’t get it, that we
were immune to the coro-
navirus,” he said. “All of
that has been debunked.
We see now that anybody
can get it. It is a serious
disease and is something
that cannot be taken light-
ly.”
What can be done?
To raise awareness
among Mississippians,
Buys said community
leaders and local officials
can help “put the word
out.”
Trusted local leaders
matter, and using the net-
needing to — has no con-
crete plan like that of CLW
in terms of delinquent pay
arrangements, hoping it
will take less than a full
year for customers to be
able to pay their debts.
“Right now, we’re only
into it one month or two
months, and generally
you would look for com-
ing out of it the same
time that it took to get in,”
Kemp said.
When customers can
return to work will be a
critical point for the utili-
ty; so too will be the date
when Reeves rescinds the
state’s shelter-in-place or-
der.
“If the governor were
to lift that, I do think
that takes some of the
pressure off and creates
more flexibility as we go
forward for the people to
make those payments,”
Kemp said.