Governor Reeves adds 19 counties to the mask mandate list

JACKSON, MISS. (WCBI) – Lowndes, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Prentiss, Union, Lafayette, and Tishomingo, along with 9 other counties are added to the Governor’s Mask Mandate.

That means 41 out of Mississippi’s 82 counties are now under additional restrictions.

However, Reeves says he will not issue a state-wide mask mandate right now, but says he hasn’t ruled out the idea completely.

In a press conference earlier today, Governor Tate Reeves expressed concern for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday as well as an update on Mississippi’s involvement with the Coronavirus Vaccine.

Reeves says the high COVID-19 cases numbers we see today are most likely from social gatherings around Halloween.

Because of this, Reeves says the public should be extra cautious going into Thanksgiving.

Reeves also addressed vaccine distribution at the briefing.

He says when a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, it will be a “multi-dose” vaccine, meaning people will have to get 2 shots, three weeks apart from each other.

“Over 1,000 of our fellow Mississippians will be involved and engaged in the distribution of the Moderna vaccine, and I have full confidence just as they do with 80 million vaccines a year already distributed by the CDC that this distribution process will be done fair,” said Governor Reeves. “It will be done in such a way to get this out to the people of our state.”

Reeves says Pfizer will have 22 and a half million doses of the vaccine by the end of December.

He says another 15 million doses could be available at the same time from Moderna.

Pfizer will distribute their own vaccines, while Moderna will distribute their vaccines through a contract with the CDC and the health care company, McKesson.

The first Mississippians to receive the vaccine will be front line health care workers followed by those at a higher risk.