NATCHEZ, Miss. – County supervisors today stressed the importance of wearing face coverings to restrain the spread of the coronavirus in Adams County, which saw a 13 percent spike of new cases this past week compared to the previous seven-day period.
According to the Mississippi Department of Health, 35 county residents tested positive for COVID-19 last week. This brings the total to 313 people in Adams County who’ve been infected by the respiratory disease. The death toll remains at 18, as it’s been in recent weeks.
The Adams County Board of Supervisors and Natchez Board of Aldermen on Friday enacted local mandates requiring people to wear some type of masks in public places.
While two county supervisors said some people “were offended” or “up in arms” about being ordered to wear face masks, the board-enacted requirement deems itself essential “to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the community” in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.
People caught by police not wearing masks as required can be fined $50, but Adams County board President Ricky Gray expressed hopes that’ll be rare. “We don’t want to get into a ticket-writing mode for not wearing a mask. We just want to keep people safe,” Gray said.
Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford said he’s identified a few Adams County “hot spots” of people with the coronavirus. Those areas include Martin Luther King downtown, Woodlawn, Morgantown, Broadmoor, Cranfield and Lagrange.
Of the 313 Adams County residents who’ve been infected by COVID-19 since data collection began March 11, 201 are black and 80 are white, according to the state Department of Health’s most recent count.
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