Masks will be required for all students and staff when they return to school and for all public gatherings and retail environments statewide, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday. 

“We know that with this virus, times change every single day,” Reeves said. “The data changes, the situation changes, and we’ve got to be prepared to change as well.”

Reeves also announced that the academic year for grades 7-12 in “hot spot” counties of Bolivar, Coahoma, Forrest, George, Hinds, Panola, Sunflower and Washington will be delayed. 

Both Meridian Public schools and Lauderdale County schools are requiring students and staff to wear masks when schools reopen.

Meridian students will begin the year on Aug. 10 using online learning. The earliest students would return to campus for in-person instruction would be Sept. 8, the district said.

Lauderdale County School District students will start school on Aug. 10 under a staggered schedule. After Labor Day, students will attend classes five days a week, with some days involving hybrid or distance learning.

Christina Woodall, whose four children attend Lauderdale County schools, said students should be required to wear masks in the hallways, but not all day in the classroom.

She said that COVID-19 guidelines should be left up to local districts.

“I think it is up to the school district, because each one has different needs,” she said.

Dobbs issues statewide order 

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs issued a statewide order Tuesday afternoon requiring all Mississippi residents diagnosed with COVID-19 to immediately isolate at home. 

“We have a lot of COVID activity throughout the state right now, so it is absolutely critical that anyone infected with COVID-19, and not hospitalized, must remain in the home or other appropriate residential location for 14 days from onset of illness (or from the date of a positive test for those who are asymptomatic),” Dobbs said in a news release. 

“The failure or refusal to obey the lawful order of a health officer is, at a minimum, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500.00 (41-3-59) or imprisonment for six months or both,” according to the release. “If a life-threatening disease is involved, failure or refusal to obey the lawful order of a health officer is a felony, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000.00 or imprisonment for up to five years or both (41-23-2).”

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 in Lauderdale County Tuesday, for a total of 1,354 and 88 total deaths. 

Data released by the health department as of Saturday shows the age group in the county with the highest total of cases, 219, is 18-29, followed by residents 50-59 with 209 cases. 

Of the county residents who have died, records show two were aged 30-39, four were 40-49, five were 50-59, 18 were 60-69, 28 were 70-79, 21 were 80-89 and 10 were 90 and older. 

Statewide, MSDH reported 1,074 new cases Tuesday, for a total of 62,199 and 42 additional deaths, for a total of 1,753. 

Records show 310 cases and 25 deaths in Clarke County, 227 cases and 15 deaths in Kemper County, 1,232 cases and 88 deaths in Neshoba County and 526 cases and 11 deaths in Newton County. 

As of Sunday, 42,391 Mississippi residents were presumed recovered, according to MSDH.

Cumulative Cases and Deaths by County

County	Total Cases	Total Deaths	Total LTC Facility Cases	Total LTC Facility Deaths
Adams	587	25	45	12
Alcorn	363	4	1	1
Amite	211	6	13	2
Attala	502	24	89	20
Benton	130	0	1	0
Bolivar	987	32	48	9
Calhoun	381	9	23	4
Carroll	248	11	45	9
Chickasaw	443	19	35	11
Choctaw	129	4	0	0
Claiborne	401	13	43	9
Clarke	310	25	19	9
Clay	374	13	2	1
Coahoma	677	10	4	2
Copiah	924	26	30	4
Covington	601	12	4	1
De Soto	3387	27	42	6
Forrest	1653	53	101	31
Franklin	117	2	3	1
George	549	5	1	0
Greene	232	11	35	6
Grenada	816	21	74	12
Hancock	344	14	8	4
Harrison	2228	33	130	14
Hinds	5329	110	252	48
Holmes	851	48	97	20
Humphreys	274	11	19	6
Issaquena	21	1	0	0
Itawamba	317	10	34	7
Jackson	2063	38	68	7
Jasper	385	9	1	0
Jefferson	193	6	6	1
Jefferson Davis	214	6	3	1
Jones	1804	57	168	35
Kemper	227	15	38	9
Lafayette	885	12	81	9
Lamar	1146	13	3	2
Lauderdale	1354	88	205	56
Lawrence	315	5	14	0
Leake	771	25	4	0
Lee	1274	30	67	15
Leflore	866	60	184	42
Lincoln	756	41	116	27
Lowndes	999	32	68	18
Madison	2324	60	180	31
Marion	625	19	15	2
Marshall	585	8	12	1
Monroe	716	50	126	41
Montgomery	297	3	0	0
Neshoba	1232	88	107	35
Newton	526	11	8	1
Noxubee	426	11	16	3
Oktibbeha	1060	36	175	24
Panola	936	11	5	1
Pearl River	496	37	56	15
Perry	226	7	0	0
Pike	846	32	72	15
Pontotoc	752	7	4	1
Prentiss	351	6	24	3
Quitman	233	1	0	0
Rankin	2168	30	87	10
Scott	962	19	15	3
Sharkey	183	1	6	1
Simpson	723	28	27	13
Smith	385	13	54	8
Stone	159	3	3	1
Sunflower	926	23	11	2
Tallahatchie	496	10	7	2
Tate	665	24	34	11
Tippah	316	12	0	0
Tishomingo	339	4	2	0
Tunica	292	6	12	2
Union	538	14	20	8
Walthall	463	18	63	9
Warren	976	30	87	13
Washington	1524	33	44	11
Wayne	736	21	57	10
Webster	201	12	52	11
Wilkinson	188	13	8	3
Winston	584	15	40	11
Yalobusha	313	10	35	7
Yazoo	793	11	21	2
Total	62,199	1,753	3,709	782

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