Gov. Tate Reeves hinted Monday that he may add nine more counties to his executive order requiring face masks, raising the total to 29.
“Jones County very well may end up on that list in the next day or two or three,” he said, also naming Coahoma, Lowndes and Issaquena as counties with surging COVID-19 cases that may be added to the order. “Doesn’t matter what county you are in, wear a mask.”
Reeves added Walthall County to that list last week. Reeves has said counties that register 200 cases in a week or have an infection rate of 500 people per 100,000 would be placed under greater restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.
Reeves said the issue with counties such as Issaquena is that it had seven cases in two weeks, which, because the county is so small, put it over the 500 per capita rate requirement despite being nowhere close to 200 cases in two weeks. Reeves stressed that no matter where someone lives, they should still wear a mask in public.
However, he has stood firm against mandating masks and other restrictions statewide, saying those measures should be reserved for case where the virus is rapidly spreading. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Friday that Mississippi has the ninth-worst rate of infection in the U.S. and the third-worst in the South.
“Well over two thirds of the population is currently under a mask order,” Reeves said. “I believe this surgical approach is really the way to go. We are beginning to see some evidence that our changes are working. We have quite a few less people in hospitals for non-COVID related illness.”
Dobbs said there were 300 fewer non-COVID hospitalizations in the last week, along with a “modest” decrease in non-coronavirus patients in intensive care. However, there was a small rise in coronavirus patient hospitalizations from 293 to 304 in the last week.
Dobbs said he spoke with people around the state who were hospitalized with the virus and most said they were infected after visiting family or letting their guards down and taking of their masks and not follow social distancing guidelines.
“Social gatherings are really getting us,” he said, noting that it can be groups as small as five people that spread the virus. “Please be very careful. Stick with your nuclear family right now.”
Dobbs also dispelled a myth that people are getting positive tests back after not having been tested. He said that is a popular rumor spread around Facebook, but the state has looked into many people’s claims and found they were not in the database, meaning they would not be counted in the overall coronavirus totals.
Despite this, Dobbs said he wants everyone who thinks there was an issue to call because human error is possible, and the state is trying to prevent as much of it as possible.
Turning to the reopening of schools, Reeves said the Mississippi Department of Education will not likely bend the requirement for 180 days of instruction, but he plans to look at all of the individual districts opening plans and see if “decisions will be made.”
“We have seen a number of school district plans. Some of them look good. Some of them do not,” he said. “I am committed to making sure every kid has an opportunity to learn … and every plan every district gives every kid the opportunity to grow.”
Though Reeves said he did not want to overrule school districts’ plans, he might have to, noting that it is important that schools return, but they have to “think outside the box” and they cannot go back to the way school was in 2019.
“I do not want to use my executive powers. I want to have confidence in our local school districts,” he said. “It is not normal times. We have to be innovative.”
Dobbs agreed, adding that if the whole state can “knuckle down” for a few weeks it would make school returning much simpler and safer, otherwise schools will be ripe to spread the virus.
“If we open up school, if we are not careful, a dozen or two dozen kids will have the virus walking into the school,” he said.
Reporters also asked about high schools and college sports, but Reeves said it is not possible to speak generically about all sports, noting that turnout to college and high school football versus high school women’s soccer are wildly different.
Reeves said sports will be very different, noting that schools could stagger fans entrances.
I think we will have college football … but it is not going to be at full capacity,” he said. “We are having those conversations, but it is not time to make a decision.”
But Dobbs said it was a generally bad idea to have sports in the current environment.
“At this specific moment in this pandemic it is a bad idea to put a lot of people together,” he said, noting that people will be close, cheering, and letting their guards down. “If you want football, don’t do the things that spread COVID.”
The state reported 653 cases additional cases with 13 additional deaths for a total of 52,957 cases and 1,501 deaths since March.
“I wouldn’t be too comfortable with the 600 number. We frequently have a drop after the weekend,” Dobbs said. “We will follow the subsequent days, but certainly would see this as an indicator that we’ve seen much improvement yet although, certainly, we can be hopeful.”
Pike County rose to 730 cases over with an increase of 45 over the weekend. Lincoln County still lags behind Pike, rising 32 cases for a total of 681.
Amite County added 14 cases for a total of 179 between Saturday to Monday. Franklin added eight cases for a total of 88, Lawrence went up by 27 for a total of 273, Walthall County rose by 15 to 397 since Friday and Wilkinson added 12 cases for a total of 154.
