Officials planning for the next stage of slowing the coronavirus in Mississippi

by

kobee vance

• Published on November 9, 2020 • Last modified on November 7, 2020 • Comments

Last Thursday saw a steep increase in coronavirus cases
MSDH

Mississippi continues to see elevated transmission rates of the coronavirus. This week, executive orders for mask mandates in certain counties will expire and health officials are concerned about growing trends.

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Mississippi has recently fought the spread of COVID-19 through county-specific mask mandates and social restrictions. The existing executive order applied to 16 counties with high coronavirus transmission. This week, those orders expire, and Governor Tate Reeves says he is weighing his options.

Reeves says the fall weather will bring more residents indoors. "We've got to be very mindful of people going back indoors, and what that means with respect to COVID-19. So that's the reason that we have said repeatedly that we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask, to stay socially distanced, to stay six feet apart, to ensure that we can mitigate and minimize the spread of the virus," says Reeves.

State Health Officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs is encouraging every resident to follow this guidance, even if it's not mandatory. He says COVID-19 has already killed nearly 3,500 Mississippians. "Who are the people in the future that we can prevent getting it, prevent from dying. Please, we just need to make sure that we don't let our guard down," says Dr. Dobbs. "You know we're living pretty easy to live lives with some modest restrictions with the distancing and the masks and the small groups. Please keep that up. That's a small price to pay to save human lives."

Governor Reeves says he will announce his plans for a new executive order if there is one, early this week.