The Mississippi State Medical Association is supporting physicians’ calls for a statewide mask mandate, which requires everyone to wear masks in public spaces.Gov. Tate Reeves said he and MSMA officials have the same goal to increase the number of people in Mississippi who are wearing masks.”We may not 100% agree on how to accomplish that,” Reeves said. Reeves said the state is focusing on placing additional restrictions on areas of the state identified as hot spots. An order went into effect Monday for 13 counties, including Hinds, Madison and Rankin, that requires masks to be worn in public. “Our goal has to be the best, highest number of people wearing masks and making sure they observe social distancing guidelines,” Reeves said.The daily number of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi has been trending upwards over the past few weeks as communities have reopened throughout the state. During the pandemic, physicians have been working on the front lines to care for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 while continuing to provide critical care for all patients in need. MSMA said Mississippians can continue to demonstrate their support to slow the spread of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing, frequently washing their hands, and staying home whenever possible, but additional measures need to be taken. They want to ensure critical medical resources can be available to meet the needs of all Mississippians, including a statewide mask mandate that helps reduce community spread of the COVID-19.”We strongly believe that without a statewide mask mandate, our state’s health care system cannot sustain the trajectory of this outbreak, which could ultimately result in the loss of the lives of many Mississippians,” according to the MSMA. “With the staggering toll of this pandemic on our state, we need to act quickly and decisively. We can defeat COVID-19 in the same way we have historically defeated public health threats in the past. Science and evidence have made it absolutely clear that COVID-19 is not behind us, and we must resist the urge to relax the measures that have proven effective in keeping people safe.”
JACKSON, Miss. —
The Mississippi State Medical Association is supporting physicians’ calls for a statewide mask mandate, which requires everyone to wear masks in public spaces.
Gov. Tate Reeves said he and MSMA officials have the same goal to increase the number of people in Mississippi who are wearing masks.
“We may not 100% agree on how to accomplish that,” Reeves said.
Reeves said the state is focusing on placing additional restrictions on areas of the state identified as hot spots. An order went into effect Monday for 13 counties, including Hinds, Madison and Rankin, that requires masks to be worn in public.
“Our goal has to be the best, highest number of people wearing masks and making sure they observe social distancing guidelines,” Reeves said.
The daily number of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi has been trending upwards over the past few weeks as communities have reopened throughout the state.
During the pandemic, physicians have been working on the front lines to care for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 while continuing to provide critical care for all patients in need.
MSMA said Mississippians can continue to demonstrate their support to slow the spread of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing, frequently washing their hands, and staying home whenever possible, but additional measures need to be taken. They want to ensure critical medical resources can be available to meet the needs of all Mississippians, including a statewide mask mandate that helps reduce community spread of the COVID-19.
“We strongly believe that without a statewide mask mandate, our state’s health care system cannot sustain the trajectory of this outbreak, which could ultimately result in the loss of the lives of many Mississippians,” according to the MSMA. “With the staggering toll of this pandemic on our state, we need to act quickly and decisively. We can defeat COVID-19 in the same way we have historically defeated public health threats in the past. Science and evidence have made it absolutely clear that COVID-19 is not behind us, and we must resist the urge to relax the measures that have proven effective in keeping people safe.”