Reservoir police seeing fewer boaters than years prior this Labor Day weekend

BRANDON, Miss. (WLBT) - Another boat hit the choppy waters of the Ross Barnett Reservoir Saturday for Labor Day weekend.

Reservoir Police Chief Trevell Dixon said there are more restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Even so, there has been no trouble so far. Dixon said there have been fewer boaters and families gathering at the Reservoir than usual.

“The order that’s been in place, it has helped. That has made our enforcement efforts a lot easier. As we noticed over the past few holidays, we haven’t seen the crowd as much as we have the previous years. I’m not sure if that’s because of the pandemic and older crowds not coming out, but we have seen an impact on that,” said Dixon.

Reservoir police patrols are making sure boaters practice social distancing in the water. They are also looking out for improper boating safety and stranded boaters.

“Everybody’s doing what they’re supposed to do. We haven’t had any issues, everybody’s social distancing. Everybody’s being responsible as far as boating. Make sure that you have your life jackets, make sure that you’re not consuming a lot of alcohol. If you are going to be drinking try not to boat. Have a designated boater. Make sure that you’re just being safe out here,” said Dixon.

He hopes families will continue to have a safe weekend. If there’s a concern or problem, Dixon wants the public to contact his team for help because safety is key.

“We’re all hands on deck. So everybody’s at work force. They’re out here. We have assistance from wildlife and fisheries. So, we’re heavily enforced on the water - also on the road. So, we’re definitely out full force this weekend,” said Dixon.

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