New Covid rules for some area counties

JACKSON (WCBI) –  4 North Mississippi counties have been added to the list of counties who must take additional steps to fight Covid 19  Governor Tate Reeves says Lee, Lowndes, Pontotoc and Noxubee all meet the threshold of new cases requiring extra precautions   Those include expanded mask mandates and new limits on the number of people allowed to gather in businesses

Below are the orders the counties must meet

Operations: All businesses and business operations shall attempt in good faith to follow the Mississippi State Department ofHealth’s and CDC’s regulations, orders and guidance to prevent the spread ofCOVID-19, including, but not limited to: social distancing; sending sick employees home or for further medical evaluation; actively encouraging sick employees to stay home or for further medical evaluation; separating and sending home employees who appear to have respiratory illness symptoms; adopting and enforcing regular and proper hand-washing and personal hygiene protocols; and daily screening of employees for COVID-19 related symptoms before beginning their shifts.

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Each employee shall be screened at the beginning of their shift. Such daily screening shall include, at a minimum, the following questions, and any employee answering any question in the affirmative shall be sent home or for further medical evaluation:
1. Have you been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-
19 in the past 14 days?
2. Are you experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat?
3. Have you had a fever in the last 48 hours?
4. Have you had new loss of taste or smell?
5. Have you had vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours?
All employees shall be required to report any symptoms of COVID-19 to their supervisor or designated company contact, and any employee who exhibits any of the symptoms of COVID-19 during their shift shall be immediately sent home or for further medical evaluation and advised to consult with their physician.
Appropriate PPE shall be worn by all employees while at work or on duty based on their duties and responsibilities and in adherence to federal, state and local regulations and guidelines. Appropriate PPE shall include a face covering, covering the nose and mouth, for all employees who are unable to maintain a minimum of 6 feet of separation from customers and other employees, and such face coverings shall be cleaned or replaced at least daily.
Hand sanitizer shall be provided to all employees and customers and shall be made available at points of entry and exit, in or near the bathrooms, and at the cashier stations. Hand sanitizer shall mean any hand antiseptic, hand rub, soap, or agent applied to the hands for purpose of removing common pathogens. Employees who have contact with the public shall be provided a face covering, covering nose and mouth, and shall be required to wear that face covering while on duty, and such face coverings shall be cleaned or replaced at least daily. Customers shall wear a face covering, covering nose and mouth, while inside businesses and business operations, except face coverings are not required for the following:
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1. Persons who cannot wear a face covering due to a medical or behavioral condition, who have trouble breathing or are incapacitated, or whose healthcare professional has recommended that a face covering not be worn;
2. Persons seeking to communicate with someone who is hearing-impaired in a way that requires the mouth to be visible;
3. Persons while eating or drinking;
Persons in a building or engaged in an activity that utilizes or requires security surveillance or screening (e.g., banking or financial institutions), and only during such times when these persons are under security surveillance or screening;
5. Persons engaged in swimming activities or other activities while in a swimming pool;
6. Persons engaged in exercising in fitness and exercise gyms or other sports activity;
7. Persons while giving a speech, presentation or performance for a broadcast or to an audience;
8. Persons actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship (NOTE wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged);
9. Children under the age of six (6) (NOTE parents and guardians shall be responsible for ensuring proper use offace coverings by children six (6) years of age and older and must ensure that face coverings do not pose a choking hazard and can be safely worn without obstructing a child’s ability to breathe.); and
10. Other settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering, including, but not limited to, when obtaining or rendering goods or services (such as receipt of dental services) or would otherwise impede visibility to operate equipment.
vn. Businesses and business operations shall make all reasonable efforts to maintain 6 feet of separation between customers (or parties of customers) at all times, including 6 feet of separation while in cashier lines, waiting rooms, and other publicspace, includingdisplayingprominentsignsateveryentranceinforming customers of the face covering requirements herein and that customers must practice social distancing (maintaining a minimum of 6 feet of separation from other customers (or parties ofcustomers)).
vm. Carts and baskets and all other surfaces that are contacted by customers during the course of providing services shall be sanitized after each use by customers. All other high-touch areas, including all door handles shall be sanitized once every two hours at a minimum.
b. Gatherings:
All individuals shall maintain social distancing of a minimum of 6 feet distance
between individuals not in the same household.
n. Social gatherings/activities shall be limited to a maximum of 10 participants indoor and a maximum of 20 participants outdoor. This limitation shall not apply to religious entities, students in classrooms, or gatherings in facilities governed by other capacity limitations.
m. Face coverings must be worn indoors and outdoors (when unable to maintain a minimum of 6 feet of separation from other individuals not in the same household) when attending public events (including but not limited to attending events in outdoor sports complexes, multi-field complexes, and arenas). This face covering requirement shall not apply to individuals engaged in organized school athletic practices, including weight training and outdoor practices, or other outdoor exercising.