By: Ray King
Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington said Monday that the first night of the city imposed curfew was very successful.
The Mayor ordered the curfew as a way to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the city.
Speaking on the Morning Show with Greg Horne and Will Jenkins, Washington said she went out Sunday night and before the curfew went into effect at 9 p.m., there were a number of young people hanging out but “by 9:15, they streets were bare.”
The curfew runs from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily and when asked about a person going out after that to “get a diet coke” Washington said that as long as people had a purpose, such as going to buy food, “even if it is a diet coke and a bag of chips” it would be acceptable.
“Just as long as you’re not loitering, gathering and socializing or drifting around,” Washington said.
The Pine Bluff City Council will meet in a special meeting Monday at the Pine Bluff Convention Center to approve legislation to extend the curfew. The Public Works and Public Safety Committee will meet jointly at 5:15 p.m. and the full council will meet at 5:30 p.m. That meeting will, be closed to the public.
Washington also said she has seen some people who don’t appear to be following social distancing guidelines.
She said she had not yet contacted Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson or Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr., about a possible county-wide curfew but would do so Monday.
“I was concerned about what we saw Friday night,” Washington said. “The only way to slow down the virus is to cut down socializing.”
She said there are currently 26 reported cases of the virus in Jefferson County but that number could increase as more testing has been done and the results of those tests won’t be available for seven days, adding that there have been more negative test results in the county than positive results.
