Mask mandate to be extended for Coast counties, Reeves says. More areas might be added.
With intensive care unit space running low in Mississippi hospitals, Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday he plans to extend an order that includes a mask mandate and strict social distancing for 13 counties in the state.
Reeves said he will likely extend the executive order for an extra two weeks on Monday, and possibly add other counties to the list. His current order is set to run out at 8 a.m. Monday.
“I want to be clear. I fully expect the Safe Return order and additional measures in other counties to be extended beyond Monday,” Reeves said. “We’re looking at data to determine if additional counties need to be added.”
A pair of coastal counties, Harrison and Jackson, are joined on the original list of 13 counties by Hinds, DeSoto, Rankin, Washington, Sunflower, Jefferson, Grenada, Madison, Claiborne, Wayne and Quitman.
“People in Harrison and Jackson counties can expect that order to be extended two weeks beyond Monday,” the governor said.
Reeves mentioned Forrest, Jones, Bolivar, Lamar, Panola, Tate, Covington, Walthall, Humphreys, Simpson, Tallahatchie and Sharkey as counties that the state is considering adding to the order.
Also, Reeves again indicated he is considering closing down bars or at least placing some limitations on them.
“Whether we choose to put additional measures on bars or not, please understand that it is not necessarily safe for there to be tons of people standing around partying,” he said.
State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs is asking Mississippians to stay at home as much as possible.
“I strongly recommend people not congregating in groups at all,” he said. “Stay at home when you can and stay away from crowds. If you do go out, maintain 6 feet of distance.”
MS hospitals struggling with ICU capacity
Overall hospitalizations for coronavirus decreased slightly in Friday’s report from the State Department of Health, but patients in intensive care again hit an all-time high at 253.
“Just a short five days ago, we had 197 in intensive care. That’s a marked increase,” Dobbs said. “Every day we add 1,000 cases, that means 170 will likely be in the hospital for several weeks.”
Dobbs, who has said Coast hospitals are in better shape than most in the state, said the state is struggling to find ICU space for those battling COVID-19.
“If you look at the facilities, we have zero ICU beds in eight of our major medical centers,” Dobbs said. “We continue to get notifications that we’ve had to transfer some patients out of state for care.
“We couldn’t find an ICU bed in the state for one patient and we couldn’t find one in Louisiana either. We had to find one in Alabama. It’s going to continue to be a significant stress on our system.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 3:53 PM.
