Mississippi’s COVID-19 hospitalizations increased 145% amid a late summer spike in cases between July 29 and Aug. 29, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows. But statewide masking guidelines will not change, nor will the State institute any other restrictions to prevent further spread, Gov. Tate Reeves says.
The state reported 184 new admissions for COVID-19 the week of Aug. 29, up from 75 new hospital admissions a month earlier on July 29. September’s numbers are not available yet.
As experts nationwide suggested people, especially those who are immunocompromised, wear face masks amid the rise of new COVID-19 variants, the Republican governor issued a press release rejecting any new steps to combat the virus. In one Aug. 25 article citing expert opinions, CBS News’ Sara Moniuszko posed the question, “Is masking coming back?”
“The simple answer to the question being posed by ‘experts’ is: no. We will not return to widespread masking or COVID rules,” Reeves said in an Aug. 28 press release. The statement comes at a time when baseless conspiracy theories have spread online about the return of pandemic restrictions and lockdowns.
“If you want to take extraordinary measures to protect yourself from getting sick, God bless you,” the governor wrote. “That is your right and you should do what you think is best. Maybe you’re the smartest of all of us. But we are never going back to 2020.”
‘We Still Have People Who Die of COVID’
Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said the Mississippi State Department of Health continues to watch COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, noting that intensive-care unit admissions have increased but not drastically.
“We’re not being as strict in our recommendations as we were two years ago because the danger is not there, but (COVID-19) still has significant consequences,” the MSDH leader told the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 6. “So the two things we’re trying to protect right now, we’re trying to protect our vulnerable population, and then we’re also trying to protect our workforce.”
Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney, pictured, said on Sept. 6, 2023,
