City of distributes masks to muffle fourth wave of COVID-19

Mayor Percy Bland on Monday extended the City of Meridian’s mask mandate until the end of the year to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“I’m asking each and everyone one of you to do your part,” Bland said in a press conference over Facebook Live. “Together, we can make a positive impact on preventing the spread of this virus.”

He said the city will be placing more emphasis on enforcement of the mask mandate, and encouraged citizens to wear a mask, stay socially distant from others and use proper hygiene.

Bland said local hospitals are not currently in a critical state.

But as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise, more strain is expected to be put on local health care providers, he said.

As of Sunday, Anderson Regional Medical Center had 13 confirmed COVID-19 patients and one adult COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. Rush Foundation Hospital had 18 confirmed COVID-19 patients and six adult COVID-19 patients in the ICU as of Sunday, according to the health department. 

Following Bland’s announcment, Gov. Tate Reeves added seven counties to the list of counties with additional COVID-19 safety measures: Hinds, Madison, Pontotoc, Tate, Winston, Itawamba and Montgomery. There are now 22 counties on the list, including Lauderdale County.

In these counties, people must wear a mask when they are indoors and interacting with the public, but cannot social distance. Indoor social gatherings in the counties must be limited to 10 people and outdoor social gatherings must be limited to 50.

“Just because you are or you are not in these 22 counties, does not change what is in the best interest for you and your family,” Reeves said. “What’s in the best interest of you and your family and all Mississippians is if you go out in public, wear a mask.”

On Monday afternoon, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported that there has been a total of 54,714,076 COVID-19 cases across the globe and 1,321,712 deaths. The center also reported a total of 11,114,151 cases and 246,758 deaths in the U.S.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported on Monday 589 new cases of COVID-19 statewide and two additional deaths, bringing the state’s totals to 134,898 cases and 3,545 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Lauderdale County, the department reported 23 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths, bringing the county’s totals to 3,065 cases and 141 deaths.

In Newton County, six new cases were reported; 976 cases has been reported since March. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 29 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Kemper County, one new case was reported; 362 cases have been reported since March. No new deaths were reported; 15 deaths have been reported since March.

Clarke County reported one new case, bringing the case total to 847. No new deaths were reported; the county has had 53 COVID-19 related deaths since March.

In Neshoba County, 14 new cases were reported, bringing the case total to 2,070. No new deaths were reported; 111 deaths have been reported since March.

The Department of Health presumes 116,683 people have recovered from COVID-19. The department also reported that there are 145 ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term-care facilities.

case count

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	1250	47	64	14
Alcorn	1340	21	87	9
Amite	459	14	15	2
Attala	964	27	95	20
Benton	448	16	44	8
Bolivar	2257	82	220	30
Calhoun	686	13	25	4
Carroll	651	13	45	9
Chickasaw	967	31	47	14
Choctaw	265	7	1	0
Claiborne	565	16	43	9
Clarke	847	53	93	27
Clay	809	26	20	3
Coahoma	1383	40	124	10
Copiah	1515	38	72	9
Covington	1107	32	66	15
De Soto	8912	87	101	20
Forrest	3448	83	177	41
Franklin	282	4	4	1
George	1159	22	36	6
Greene	559	19	40	6
Grenada	1310	43	114	21
Hancock	1071	34	57	8
Harrison	6453	101	303	35
Hinds	9002	186	486	80
Holmes	1200	60	102	20
Humphreys	506	18	32	7
Issaquena	108	4	0	0
Itawamba	1365	33	89	17
Jackson	5763	105	113	12
Jasper	774	20	1	0
Jefferson	301	11	13	3
Jefferson Davis	513	15	8	1
Jones	3263	86	187	38
Kemper	362	15	41	9
Lafayette	2897	45	123	28
Lamar	2604	47	42	11
Lauderdale	3065	141	298	76
Lawrence	645	14	26	2
Leake	1265	43	42	7
Lee	4439	89	197	39
Leflore	1918	88	194	47
Lincoln	1702	64	162	36
Lowndes	2132	62	115	33
Madison	4311	97	250	45
Marion	1044	46	92	15
Marshall	1913	39	59	13
Monroe	1758	76	172	52
Montgomery	673	24	53	9
Neshoba	2070	111	137	39
Newton	976	29	40	10
Noxubee	653	17	21	4
Oktibbeha	2266	58	193	31
Panola	1965	43	60	8
Pearl River	1327	65	99	23
Perry	601	24	20	7
Pike	1536	58	98	27
Pontotoc	1788	26	19	2
Prentiss	1302	25	76	6
Quitman	452	6	0	0
Rankin	4798	90	183	23
Scott	1396	29	22	3
Sharkey	297	16	43	8
Simpson	1360	52	122	19
Smith	662	16	55	8
Stone	632	14	57	9
Sunflower	1794	54	84	15
Tallahatchie	916	27	29	7
Tate	1506	45	67	16
Tippah	1113	28	61	3
Tishomingo	990	41	96	26
Tunica	578	18	15	2
Union	1466	25	46	11
Walthall	713	27	67	13
Warren	1660	56	125	26
Washington	2901	105	181	39
Wayne	1115	22	59	10
Webster	401	14	52	11
Wilkinson	360	22	20	5
Winston	1020	23	46	11
Yalobusha	633	26	79	18
Yazoo	1421	36	137	14
Total	134,898	3,545	7,199	1,375