Mississippi gov won’t rule out mask mandates. ‘The situation we have feared is upon us.’
As Mississippi posts record COVID-19 case counts and, in the last couple of days, an increased number of deaths, Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that new orders on social distancing and mask wearing are imminent.
He did not rule out a statewide mask mandate or one that applied to counties where the new coronavirus is spreading most rapidly. Reeves has previously issued mask mandates for individual counties and says compliance is better when local leaders and communities buy in to the protection.
“I’m not taking anything off the table,” Reeves said.
Also at the news conference, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said that 26 legislators and 10 others connected to the Legislature have tested positive for COVID-19. The Legislature recently adjourned a session at the state Capitol where a majority of members failed to wear masks or observe public health guidelines for social distancing, members who were there told the Sun Herald.
Dobbs said 290 legislators and staffers have been tested in the Jackson areas, but others were tested at clinics when they returned home last week.
Reeves noted that both Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn have tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-quarantining.
Reeves tested negative for the virus, although he was recently pictured with Gunn over his shoulder for the signing of a bill that retired the state flag with its Confederate emblem. Neither Reeves nor onlookers, including the governor’s family, were wearing masks.
The governor has failed to wear a mask for numerous public occasions, including a funeral attended by hundreds, but at every opportunity urges his fellow Mississippians to wear masks. He has apologized on each occasion and said he intends to do better.
When asked again about his failure to wear a mask in high-profile situations, Reeves said:
“I do wear a mask. I wore one here today. You haven’t seen me wear a mask in public very often because you haven’t seen me in public very often.
“The fact of the matter is, we need to wear masks. We need to make sacrifices for the greater good.”
Reeves noted that hospitals are filling up in some areas, a scenario he tried to avoid with shelter-in-place orders that expired at the end of May.
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 32,888 total COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday evening, with 1,188 deaths. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infections reached a new height of 648 on Tuesday. The number of hospitalized patients did not exceed 600 until July 1 and has increased more than 32% in two weeks.
“I want you to hear me loud and clear,” the governor said. “This is real. It is here. It is here now. The situation that we have feared is upon us.
“Please protect yourself, please protect your loved ones. Please wear masks Please try to stay home as much as possible.”
Reeves also continued to urge social distancing, avoiding crowds and staying home if possible.
“Let’s not go to parties at the river and hang out with 30 or 40 or 3,000 people,” he said.
Other information that came out at the news conference:
▪ Dobbs warned that 41% of coronavirus “super-spreaders” are asymptomatic, with Reeves saying people should assume anyone they encounter has the virus.
▪ Reeves believes it will be at least 14 days before the Legislature can reconvene. They left without a budget for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
▪ Reeves said he is 100% committed to schools reopening in the fall, but he is unsure if football and other extracurricuilar activities can resume, particularly if they involve crowds gathering in stadiums. Dobbs said he could not envision football being played in stadiums this fall.
▪ Dobbs said demand for COVID-19 testing has increased dramatically.
▪ Dobbs said the state does not have enough contact tracers to keep up with COVID-19 cases, but more should be added in the near future. The state had around 200 contact tracers and is looking to add at least 127 more. But one case can take a day handle.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 4:25 PM.
