Oxford Restaurants to Close at 10 p.m. as City Officials Tighten COVID-19 Restrictions

By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The Oxford Board of Aldermen tightened some of the city’s COVID-19-related mandates as the number of active cases continue to rise, particularly among people 18 to 29 years old.

During a special meeting on Wednesday, the board voted 4 to 3 in favor of closing the dining areas of restaurants at 10 p.m. but allowing them to continue to serve food via curbside pick-up or delivery.

Aldermen Janice Antonow, Preston Taylor, Kesha Howell Atkinson and Rick Addy voted in favor of closing the dining rooms. Aldermen Mark Huelse, John Morgan and Jason Bailey voted against closing dining rooms. Huelse stated he would have supported discontinuing alcohol sales at 10 p.m. but allowing restaurants to remain open for food; however, that didn’t come up for a vote.

The board also decreased social gatherings to 10 people indoors and 20 people outdoors. Last week, the board voted to limit indoor social gatherings to 10 people indoors, but up to 20 if social distancing could be achieved, and up to 50 people outdoors. Wednesday’s vote limits the numbers to 10 indoors and 20 outdoors, regardless of the ability to social distance.

The new requirements will go into effect at 8 a.m. on Friday.

At the start of the meeting, Mayor Robyn Tannehill announced she and her daughter tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday morning but that neither had any symptoms and are quarantined at home for 14 days.

Oxford Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Allgood said as of Tuesday there were about 102 active cases among Lafayette County residents and that local medical clinics have reported 34 active cases among non-residents who are temporarily living in Oxford but their main residence in located outside the county or state, primarily University of Mississippi students.

Lafayette County has had a total of 536 cases as of Tuesday since March and four deaths.

View the entire Board of Aldermen meeting online on the city’s YouTube channel.