With the first official case of COVID-19 confirmed in Lafayette County, the Board of Supervisors took extra measures on Friday.

During a recessed meeting, the Board approved a resolution declaring an emergency in Lafayette County which requires all restaurants in the unincorporated areas of the County to close their dining rooms until further notice. Similar to the City of Oxford’s emergency resolution, which was passed on Tuesday by the Board of Aldermen, all restaurants in Lafayette County must limit their food service through the use of drive-thru, curbside pick-up or delivery. Use by the public of interior or exterior common dining facilities is hereby prohibited.

Section three of the resolution also requires all churches, businesses and families in Lafayette County to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance and Governor Tate Reeves’ recommendation of no more than 10 people gathered in one place at one time.

The Board also received an update from the county’s emergency management director, Steve Quarles, who reiterated the importance of following the orders of the resolution to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 in Lafayette County.

“Because we’re a retirement community, we have a large proportion of our community that are at vulnerable risk,” Quarles said. “So, that increases our need to be proactive as a county. … Because of the way this disease is transmitted, it means as a community, as a county and really even our personal families and our churches, we need to be especially proactive in trying to do the recommendations that our government is giving us to stop the spread.”

Quarles noted that, with Lafayette County receiving its first confirmed case, that has helped medical centers throughout the County receive more supplies of which they have been running out.

The resolution also states that Board President Mike Roberts is authorized to declare a curfew or order limits to individual gatherings, as conditions may require such action in the future during the declared state of emergency. No action regarding those measures was taken during the meeting.

During their regular meeting on Monday, the Board announced they will meet once a week to receive updates for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.