Mississippi is tied for the third-lowest coronavirus transmission rates in the nation, says Governor Tate Reeves. While that number is low, Reeves says he is extending his executive orders to prevent spread in early September. Those orders include a statewide mask mandate, limits on sports attendance, and restrictions on restaurants and bars. Reeves says "I would like nothing more than to be here in a week and a half to two weeks and say that our daily cases are below 500. That's a goal that is possible. But it is only possible if we are exceptionally aware of going into Labor Day Weekend. The next 10 days are critical for us to really shoot these numbers down."
State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says Mississippi has come a long way in the past month in reducing new cases. But, he says the state is one moment away from forgetting the important steps taken to reduce cases so far. "And if we all decide that it's going away and we don't need to wear masks anymore, then I think we're going to see some increases. If we can get to a point where we start having an effective vaccine, even if we're talking about three, four, six more months, that's not long term," says Dr. Byers. "If we can just keep doing what we're doing, I think we're gonna see some continued leveling off."
The Governor modified one part of his executive order that will allow for k-12 sporting events and extracurricular activities to increase crowd sizes up to 25 percent capacity.
