Tallahatchie County courthouses in both Charleston and Sumner, as well as the off-site county tax assessor's office in Sumner, will be closed Thursday, Dec. 3, and Friday, Dec. 4, due to COVID-19, Chancery Clerk Anita Greenwood said Thursday morning.
Circuit Clerk Daphane Neal learned that she tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, Dec. 2. She had visited various offices in both courthouses over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Greenwood said Tallahatchie County Jail Administrator Steve Simmons, with the assistance of inmates from the Tallahatchie County Sheriff's Inmate Work Center in Sumner, will clean all of the closed county facilities before they reopen to the public at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 7.
Utilizing a sanitizing fogger machine that County Emergency Management Director Thad Roberts obtained through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Simmons and the work crew will "suit up and disinfect both courthouses on Friday," Greenwood added.
Meanwhile, so far, Neal said she is experiencing only mild symptoms from her COVID-19 infection.
"I feel fine other than a little cough and dizziness," she told The Sun-Sentinel Thursday morning.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, breathing trouble, sore throat, muscle pain, and loss of taste or smell. Most people develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, can develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia.
Neal noted that she was surprised Wednesday when she learned of her diagnosis.
"I had been using every precaution, every preventive measure, to not get the virus," Neal said, adding that she has been diligent about wearing a face mask.
"I still got it. I don't know how," she added.
Despite her misfortune, Neal said she would urge everyone to "keep using these preventive measures" and to make every attempt to stay safe.
After self-isolating at home, the circuit clerk said she hopes to be able to return to work on Dec. 14, assuming she tests negative by then.
The Mississippi State Department of Health, in its latest daily update on COVID-19 statistics throughout the state, reported Thursday that the total number of positive cases in Tallahatchie County has exceeded 1,000, standing at 1,007. The first local positive case was reported on March 23.
The number of Tallahatchie County deaths attributed to the virus has remained at 27 since Nov. 11. The first local COVID-related death was reported on April 17.
A banner posted outside Tallahatchie General Hospital on Wednesday advises people to use the emergency room entrance because the main front entrance is closed, and no visitors are being allowed, due to COVID-19. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
The latest MSDH aggregate COVID-19 school report, reflecting localized outbreak and quarantine information sent to the state by school district officials, shows the following statistics for the week of Nov. 23-27:
» Charleston Elementary School had 1-5 new COVID-19 positive cases among teachers and/or staff, including three under quarantine at that time due to exposure.
»Charleston Middle School had two teachers/staff under quarantine and has reported seven positive cases among teachers/staff since the start of school.
» R.H. Bearden Elementary School had three teachers/staff under quarantine and 1-5 positive cases since the start of school.
» West Tallahatchie High School in Webb had one teacher/staff member under quarantine at the time and a total of six testing positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of school.
No COVID-19 information was listed for Charleston High School.
To view the full schools report, visit here.
Statewide on Thursday, MSDH reported that the number of new daily positive cases of COVID-19 was 2,168 — second only to the previous day's record total of 2,457 new cases within a 24-hour period — and 28 new deaths.
The number hospitalized with a confirmed case of the virus was 1,052, according to Thursday's report. Another 108 hospital patients had a suspected infection. Of the positive cases, 277 were being treated in an intensive care unit and 137 were on ventilators.
MSDH reported Thursday a total of 188 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, personal care homes, assisted living homes and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disability. There were 57 new positive tests and 11 new deaths among these residents.
At the Tallahatchie General Hospital Extended Care Facility in Charleston, where MSDH reported an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, there have been a total of 32 positive cases and seven deaths among residents since the onset of the pandemic.
A total of 159,036 Mississippians have been infected with the virus since March, with 3,879 dying, based on Thursday’s report. An estimated 128,746 of the infected persons have recovered.
MSDH and State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, citing "the rapidly rising burden of COVID-19 cases, excessive hospitalizations and the high risk of COVID-19 infection in the community," on Wednesday issued a statement of public health guidance.
"All residents of Mississippi should avoid any social gathering that includes individuals outside of the nuclear family or household. MSDH recommends that Mississippians only participate in work, school or other absolutely essential activities," the announcement noted.
MSDH recommended that all Mississippians protect themselves and their families by avoiding public or social gatherings such as the following:
• Social events or parties
• Family gatherings outside of the household or nuclear family
• Weddings
• Funerals (other than close family and preferably outdoors)
• Sporting events
• In-person church services
A total of 54 of the state’s 82 counties, including Coahoma, Lafayette, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sunflower and Yalobusha, are under a state-imposed mask mandate. As of Thursday morning, Tallahatchie was not one of them.
Among municipalities in Tallahatchie County, only the city of Charleston still has an active curfew and mask mandate. Mayor Sedrick Smith said all businesses must be closed, and everyone off city streets, by 10 p.m. Masks are required to be worn in public, he added.
While there is no curfew or mask mandate in effect in Webb, Mayor Tracy Mims said the town has "encouraged our businesses to require face coverings when patrons enter."
Sumner Mayor Jackson Webb and Tutwiler Mayor Nichole Harris-Rosebud said they follow the same policy as Webb.
According to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University, nearly 65 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide as of 10:27 a.m. Thursday. The United States led the way with almost 14 million infections.
Global deaths inched close to 1.5 million by Thursday, while the number of Americans who have succumbed to the pandemic stood at 273,920.
An estimated 41.6 million of those testing positive worldwide have recovered. An estimated 5.3 million Americans have recovered from the virus.
The latest Johns Hopkins COVID-19 statistics can be viewed at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html.
