Free COVID-19 testing available for Mississippi educators; Lauderdale County adds 10 cases

Published 12:43 pm Friday, August 21, 2020

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is hosting drive-through COVID-19 testing sites for Mississippi teachers and staff at county health departments.

Any K-12 teacher, staff or administrator can be tested for free at their local county health department. Testing hours are noon to 7 p.m., and no appointment is necessary, according to a news release.

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Testing will be available in Newton County on Monday, Aug. 24 at 15776 Highway 15 N. in Decatur. On Tuesday, Aug. 25, testing will be available in Lauderdale County at 5224 Valley Street in Meridian and in Clarke County at 426 West Donald in Quitman.

Daily testing is also offered for teachers, staff, and school administrators at the West Street Farmer’s Market in Jackson or any pop-up testing site sponsored by MSDH, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and the Mississippi National Guard. Appointments are required for the pop-up sites and the Farmer’s Market, and testing hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 10 new COVID-19 cases but no new deaths from the virus Friday in Lauderdale County.

The county’s totals increased to 1588 cases; 101 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported since March.

Statewide, 874 new cases and 24 new deaths were reported by the Department of Health, bringing state totals to 76,323 COVID-19 cases and 2,214 deaths. The state presumes 56577 people have received from the virus.

There are 174 active outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term-care facilities, according to the latest report.

The new numbers reflect tests completed as of 6 p.m. Thursday. The tests may have been made during the past week and represent individuals who became ill a week ago or more, according to the Department of Health. Repeated tests for the same individual are counted only once.

The Department of Health reported three new cases in Neshoba County Thursday for a total of 1,367; two new cases in Newton County for a total of 616; eight new cases in Clarke County for a total of 403; and no new cases in Kemper County for a total of 255.

Gov. Tate Reeves on Thursday announced social distancing measures for college and university outdoor stadiums and game events as safety measures against the spread of COVID-19.

The rules are in effect until 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31.

Under Executive Order No. 1519, bowl seating is limited to no more than 25% of seating capacity while maintaining six feet distance between households, with limits on club areas and suites.

Additional social distancing measures under the order include:

Everyone over the age of 6 must wear masks as they enter/exit and throughout the stadium, unless they are seated. Masks are strongly encouraged while seated.

Game day events such as tailgating and rallies outside the stadiums are prohibited.

Individuals allowed on the sidelines are limited to those essential for the game.

Concession stands are open, though grab-n-go food and drink options are strongly encouraged.

All transactions should be contactless and touchless, such as mobile ticketing and cashless concessions.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County

County Total Cases Total Deaths Total LTC Facility Cases Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams 699 28 46 12
Alcorn 498 6 12 1
Amite 259 6 14 2
Attala 568 25 90 20
Benton 183 1 2 0
Bolivar 1310 42 72 11
Calhoun 445 9 23 4
Carroll 279 11 45 9
Chickasaw 540 20 36 11
Choctaw 147 4 0 0
Claiborne 420 15 43 9
Clarke 403 28 31 9
Clay 442 14 2 1
Coahoma 895 14 75 2
Copiah 1006 30 30 4
Covington 682 17 8 3
De Soto 4185 37 49 9
Forrest 1976 59 118 34
Franklin 164 3 3 1
George 666 11 5 2
Greene 282 14 35 6
Grenada 892 28 83 15
Hancock 448 18 8 4
Harrison 2984 43 149 16
Hinds 6150 132 326 56
Holmes 995 50 98 20
Humphreys 321 12 20 6
Issaquena 87 * 2 0 0
Itawamba 469 13 47 8
Jackson 2696 53 74 7
Jasper 454 12 1 0
Jefferson 209 8 8 2
Jefferson Davis 263 7 3 1
Jones 2041 68 174 35
Kemper 255 14 38 9
Lafayette 1133 27 95 19
Lamar 1330 24 8 3
Lauderdale 1588 101 212 58
Lawrence 372 9 18 1
Leake 834 27 4 0
Lee 1916 46 118 20
Leflore 1172 70 185 44
Lincoln 913 46 129 29
Lowndes 1200 47 92 28
Madison 2693 79 220 39
Marion 739 24 48 6
Marshall 873 11 18 3
Monroe 950 56 147 44
Montgomery 383 11 25 6
Neshoba 1367 97 109 36
Newton 616 13 10 2
Noxubee 502 13 17 4
Oktibbeha 1256 45 184 29
Panola 1200 20 14 2
Pearl River 660 45 66 19
Perry 277 9 0 0
Pike 1062 39 74 19
Pontotoc 955 9 6 1
Prentiss 545 12 31 3
Quitman 287 2 0 0
Rankin 2556 45 115 11
Scott 1065 21 15 3
Sharkey 230 7 42 6
Simpson 876 38 93 19
Smith 441 13 54 8
Stone 278 9 28 3
Sunflower 1177 32 31 7
Tallahatchie 595 11 9 2
Tate 815 31 32 12
Tippah 478 15 1 0
Tishomingo 503 16 93 8
Tunica 417 9 12 2
Union 813 19 38 11
Walthall 541 23 67 12
Warren 1236 39 101 19
Washington 1884 56 75 16
Wayne 825 21 58 10
Webster 279 13 52 11
Wilkinson 247 14 8 4
Winston 674 18 40 11
Yalobusha 342 10 35 7
Yazoo 915 18 29 4
Total 76,323 2,214 4,626 930