NATCHEZ. Miss. – Adams County supervisors today delayed deciding whether to extend into August the county mandate ordering people to wear masks in public places to restrain the worsening outbreak of the coronavirus.
They said they’ll wait to collaborate with Natchez Mayor-elect Dan Gibson and city aldermen, who take office Friday to begin their new term.
County board President Ricky Gray said he expects city and county officials will agree to extend this order. The county Board of Supervisors and city Board of Aldermen jointly adopted the existing local mask mandate July 3 to be in effect until July 31.
According to the state Department of Health, 429 Adams County residents tested since March have been infected with the highly contagious COVID and 22 have died. The total number of cases is a sharp spike from the beginning of this month, when 280 that had been tested positive;18 people had died as of July 1. Half of the covid deaths are nursing-home residents.
As of July 11, about 65 percent of the total who’ve been infected are black, 25 percent are white and 10 percent are other races, according to the Department of Health. (Adams County’s population was about 53 percent black and 42 percent white, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.)
More Adams County coronavirus statistics can be viewed on the state agency’s website: msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/9811.pdf
As of this past weekend, 58 Adams County residents are currently sick with the respiratory disease and 328 have recovered, according to Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford.
People in Adams County caught by police not wearing masks in public places can be ticketed and fined $50. Businesses allowing customers in without face coverings could be fined $100 and also lose their city business licenses for repeat violations.
The Natchez-Adams County mandate requires people to wear some type of covering over their mouth and nose inside and outside of public places where person-to-person contact occurs. There are exceptions to the mandate, such as for patrons eating and drinking in restaurants and bars.
Bradford said today another round of free drive-through covid tests will be held Wednesday at the Adams County Safe Room parking lot on Liberty Road near Natchez High School. People who believe they might have covid and want to be tested can phone Bradford’s office for more information: 601 442-7021
More COVID-19 information can be seen on the state Department of Health website: www.msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420.html
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