The latest executive order issued by Governor Tate Reeves removes all but one state-issued mandate as COVID-19 trends continue to move in the right direction in Mississippi.
With the expiration of the previous order, which maintained capacity limits at outdoor & indoor venues across the state, the updated order only mandates that masks be worn in the state’s K-12 schools for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year.
In the absence of mandates, the order does encourage all Mississippians to continue practicing social distancing, avoiding crowded indoor gatherings and wearing a mask when in close proximity to others. This advice follows the recently updated guidelines from the CDC.
The order also encourages businesses to comply with CDC guidelines by adopting enhanced sanitization measures and continuing the screening of employees. Additionally, the order states that barbershops, salons, tattoo parlors and other businesses that offer personal care services “should” ask employees and customers to wear masks but it does not mandate it.
To read the full order, click here.
“Getting our kids back in school last August was one of the most important decision of the pandemic and keeping them in the classroom is one of my top priorities,” Reeves said. “Even so – our class of 2021 has not been afforded a normal senior year. I want every one of them to attend their graduation and I want everyone in their family to be able to join them!”
Individual counties and cities can continue to enact their own mask mandates and businesses may still require customers to wear a mask.
The continued relaxation of mandates comes as around 30% of Mississippians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the state’s 7-day average of new cases is down to around 221.
