Will K-12 students in MS have to wear masks to school in the fall? What Reeves says

Gov. Tate Reeves says he does not anticipate a mask mandate for K-12 students when school starts in the fall of 2021.

He said the current executive order requiring masks in schools will expire for students on the last day of school, which varies by district.

“I do not anticipate there being any mask mandates in K-12 settings to begin next fall,” Reeves told Frank Corder of the online website Y’all Politics.

Reeves’ executive order of April 30 ended all COVID-19 restrictions in Mississippi with the exception of requiring masks in academic and school buildings through the end of this school year.

Latest COVID case, vaccine counts

COVID-19 cases have declined in Mississippi from post-holiday highs as more people are vaccinated. On Tuesday, the Mississippi State Health Department reported 202 new cases of COVID-19, with 408 cases reported from Aug. 31 to May 13 after investigations.

MSDH reports that 865,895 residents have been fully vaccinated, with 994,443 receiving at least one dose.

Vaccines are widely available in Mississippi and residents 12 or older are eligible to receive the shots at no cost. Providers can be located on a map at the MSDH website.

Anita Lee

Sun Herald

601-909-0638

Anita, a Mississippi native, graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and previously worked at the Jackson Daily News and Virginian-Pilot, joining the Sun Herald in 1987. She specializes in in-depth coverage of government, public corruption, transparency and courts. She has won state, regional and national journalism awards, most notably contributing to Hurricane Katrina coverage awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Support my work with a digital subscription