Tallahatchie County on Tuesday became one of 17 additional counties included in a state-imposed mask mandate that remains in effect at least until Jan. 15.
The announcement was made after an executive order issued by Gov. Tate Reeves.
Sixty-one counties were already under a countywide mask mandate after meeting certain requirements in relation to COVID-19, and the latest additions increase the total to 78 of Mississippi's 82 counties.
Reeves said the action is designed to help keep Mississippians safe during the holiday season, and he urged everyone to social distance, keep gatherings small and wear a mask.
"We all need to be extra aware," said Reeves. "You know what to do! Protect yourself and your family."
Counties added to the mask mandate Tuesday are Benton, George, Greene, Hancock, Humphreys, Jasper, Leake, Newton, Pike, Quitman, Smith, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Walthall, Warren, Wayne and Wilkinson.
Counties continuing under a countywide mask mandate are 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.
A copy of the executive order can be found here.
The Mississippi State Department of Health on Tuesday announced 2,191 more positive cases of COVID-19 in the state, plus 79 additional deaths. MSDH noted that 56 of the deaths occurred Dec. 12-21, while 23 happened Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 and were verified by death certificate reports.
MSDH said 1,267 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Mississippi as of Tuesday, with 336 of those in intensive care units around the state.
Tallahatchie County has had 1,143 positive cases of the virus and 29 deaths, the latest of which was reported Dec. 16.
As of Tuesday, MSDH reported that the total number of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi since March is 197,691, with 4,490 deaths.
A total of 154,669 Mississippians are estimated to have recovered from the virus.
