Two days before the current executive order was set to expire, Gov. Tate Reeves on Wednesday issued a new executive order placing Marion County under a mask mandate. What that means is people interacting with other people in public, whether indoors or outdoors, are required to wear a mask. Reeves cited the increase in cases as the reason for instituting the mask mandate.
Marion County was not alone in being added to the list. Mississippi counties now under the mask mandate include Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, De Soto, Forrest, Franklin, Grenada, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Itawamba, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Leflore, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Neshoba, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pearl River, Perry, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Stone, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Washington, Webster, Winston, Yalobusha and Yazoo.
In addition to the requirement of wearing a mask, social gatherings are to be limited to no more than 10 people indoors in a single space and no more than 50 people outdoors while in close proximity.
In the press briefing Wednesday, Reeves also addressed indoor kindergarten through 12th grade indoor sports. Tickets will be limited to four tickets for each participant, but the total attendance cannot exceed 250 people. Other indoor arena activities are limited to 10% capacity of 1,000 attendees.
He also said that masks are still required for all schools when social distancing is not possible.
The new Safe Recovery Order took effect on Friday at 5 p.m. and is set to expire Jan. 15, 2021.
Also discussed Wednesday was State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and a mix-up with the automation of the number of new cases released that morning. It was originally reported that there were 3,658 new cases, but that was quickly revised on Wednesday afternoon to only 2,746 cases, more than 900 cases less than originally released.
Dobbs said, if Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine gets FDA approval this week, they project that 25,000 doses of the vaccine could be in the state by next week. Dobbs said the first ones to receive the vaccine will be frontline healthcare workers. MEMA and the National Guard will be handling the logistics for the distribution.
The vaccine will be given in two doses, three weeks apart. Possible side effects include soreness at the site of the injection, fatigue, minor aches and headaches. Next in line will be residents and workers in long-term healthcare facilities. It could be late spring before the vaccine becomes available to the general public.
Dobbs announced on Wednesday that he and Dr. Paul Byers state epidemiologist, will be the first two to receive the vaccine. Dobbs said both of them are active in the healthcare field, including helping with testing, and they also want people to know that the vaccine is safe.
Reeves said Greg Michel, director of MEMA, has tested positive for the virus, but that should not cause any complications with distributing the vaccine.
Two people in Britain were reported to have had allergic reactions to the vaccine, but it was reported that both also had severe allergies beforehand, which could have played a part in the reaction.
Thursday afternoon the FDA advisory committee approved the vaccine with a vote of 17-4.
