COVID-19 hospitalizations in Mississippi as of May 17.

Gov. Tate Reeves announced guidelines Tuesday for in-person worship services to resume in Mississippi. 

While churches and other places of worship were never shut down due to COVID-19, they were encouraged to offer services online.

Reeves said he and his family would likely continue to worship from home for now. 

“I believe in my heart that our church is not a building,” he said.

Among the guidelines, Reeves recommended deep-cleaning before services, limiting attendance, encouraging the use of face coverings, creating space between households, replacing choirs with solo performers and avoiding the passing of offering plates. 

State health officials reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 in Lauderdale County Tuesday for a total of 602, the second highest total in Mississippi. 

Records show 46 people from the county have died since the outbreak began, including 28 who lived in long-term care facilities.

According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, Lauderdale County is the only county in the state with more than 100 COVID-19 cases reported in long-term care facilities, with a total of 159. 

As of Tuesday, Anderson Regional Medical Center was hospitalizing 31 patients who have tested positive for the virus, according to the hospital’s website.

Rush Foundation Hospital is not reporting daily COVID-19 hospitalizations.

In the latest update, state health officials reported 113 cases and 14 deaths in Clarke County, 105 cases and 10 deaths in Kemper County, 429 cases and 25 deaths in Neshoba County and 196 cases and three deaths in Newton County. 

MSDH confirmed 272 new cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi Tuesday, for a total of 11,704 and 27 additional deaths, for a total of 554 deaths statewide. 

Of the new cases reported in Mississippi Tuesday, records show 45 were among residents in long-term care facilities. 

MSDH reported Tuesday its first case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), an illness found in children under 18 that may be associated with previous COVID-19 infection.

The illness is rare and not contagious, but officials are investigating other suspected cases according to MSDH.

Health officials said the case was in a child in Central Mississippi who tested positive for COVID-19 and has been discharged from the hospital.

“This is a reminder that while the number of COVID-19 cases in children has been relatively low, the virus can still cause severe illness in children,” State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said in a statement.

MSDH also reported its first pediatric flu death of 2020 and the first in the state since 2018. The death was in a child from Central Mississippi who not test positive for COVID-19, the health department said.

Leaders from Pearl River Resort and Bok Homa properties announced Tuesday that they will not open this week, despite permission from the Mississippi Gaming Commission to reopen Thursday for Memorial Day weekend.

“As eager as we are to welcome back our associates and guests, we think it prudent to wait a while longer,” Pearl River Resort CEO William “Sonny” Johnson said in a statement. “When we reopen, it will be with the confidence that the time is right for the safety of our associates, guests and tribal members.”

Cases and Deaths by County

Totals of all reported cases since March 11, including those in long-term care (LTC) facilities.

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	177	15	39	8
Alcorn	12	1	0	0
Amite	45	1	6	1
Attala	259	9	65	9
Benton	13	0	1	0
Bolivar	129	10	16	4
Calhoun	59	4	23	4
Carroll	110	8	45	6
Chickasaw	116	12	32	8
Choctaw	23	2	0	0
Claiborne	51	1	2	0
Clarke	113	14	14	6
Clay	86	3	0	0
Coahoma	85	3	0	0
Copiah	207	3	0	0
Covington	110	1	1	0
Desoto	404	5	13	1
Forrest	435	29	78	19
Franklin	21	1	1	0
George	19	1	0	0
Greene	7	1	0	0
Grenada	60	2	14	2
Hancock	81	10	6	3
Harrison	218	6	1	1
Hinds	786	22	76	13
Holmes	310	20	70	9
Humphreys	49	5	14	3
Itawamba	79	7	33	6
Jackson	287	13	39	4
Jasper	116	3	0	0
Jefferson	38	0	0	0
Jefferson Davis	69	2	3	1
Jones	358	10	45	5
Kemper	105	10	25	6
Lafayette	109	3	37	0
Lamar	199	4	4	2
Lauderdale	602	46 *	159	28
Lawrence	80	0	1	0
Leake	364	7	4	0
Lee	96	5	8	1
Leflore	202	22	51	11
Lincoln	218	18	68	14
Lowndes	132	6	9	4
Madison	561	17	89	11
Marion	93	8	14	2
Marshall	67	3	2	0
Monroe	220	23	92	20
Montgomery	74	1	0	0
Neshoba	429	25	50	13
Newton	196	3	2	0
Noxubee	145	4	14	3
Oktibbeha	107	8	28	4
Panola	52	2	0	0
Pearl River	195	27	42	9
Perry	37	2	0	0
Pike	184	11	14	6
Pontotoc	25	2	3	0
Prentiss	36	3	21	3
Quitman	21	0	0	0
Rankin	295	6	5	0
Scott	550	10	12	2
Sharkey	7	0	0	0
Simpson	78	0	4	0
Smith	120	9	29	6
Stone	24	0	0	0
Sunflower	68	3	0	0
Tallahatchie	21	1	0	0
Tate	55	1	2	0
Tippah	69	11	0	0
Tishomingo	21	0	1	0
Tunica	45	2	12	2
Union	65	4	18	3
Walthall	44	0	0	0
Warren	135	5	34	3
Washington	128	4	5	1
Wayne	45	0	2	0
Webster	22	1	0	0
Wilkinson	78	9	5	2
Winston	86	0	0	0
Yalobusha	75	2	24	2
Yazoo	192	2	7	0
Total	11,704	554	1,534	271

* Note: One death that was previously reported from Lauderdale County was in error, and has corrected.

The numbers in this table are provisional. County case numbers and deaths may change as investigation finds new or additional information about residence.

–Mississippi Department of Health