The coronavirus just won’t go away. As the nation and Pine Belt area attempts to reopen businesses, and life in general, new reported cases of COVID-19 continue to rise locally.
The virus has affected at least two county employees in Jones County, and the steady incline of reported cases here has prompted the city of Laurel to adopt a new stance to combat it. The city council passed an order Tuesday that requires the wearing of masks by employees and customers of all businesses, essential and non-essential. The council adopted the measure as an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Laurel. The order is effective immediately and will stay in effect until July 1 at 8 a.m.
In short, the order requires that everyone entering or working in a place of business in the city wear a face mask while around other people. The order applies to “essential” and “non-essential” businesses.
Acceptable masks, per the order, include fabric masks, homemade linen or cloth masks, household dust masks, a handkerchief, a scarf, surgical masks, a KN95 mask or an N95 mask.
The city’s order does not obligate an employer to purchase a certain type of mask for employees or the public. Individual businesses may also implement a more restrictive policy (than the city order) in terms of masks or others measures to contain and prevent transmission of COVID-19.
The order shall not apply to customers who have trouble breathing or are unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance; anyone with a disability; or anyone with a medical condition for whom wearing a mask is not recommended by their healthcare professional.
The Jones County Board of Supervisors has also been monitoring the increased number of cases, and they recently decided to keep all community centers in the county closed until at least July 1. The supervisors have taken other precautions, such as limiting access to the courthouse offices and other county buildings, and individuals who come to the courthouses are subject to temperature checks before entering.
The supervisors have been consistent in urging the public to wear face masks and observe guidelines issued by the CDC and the Mississippi State Department of Health.
On Tuesday, June 16 the MSDH reported 489 new cases and 23 more deaths statewide related to COVID-19. One of those deaths was in Jones County, which brings the total number of deaths caused by COVID-19 in Jones County to 44. There have been 910 reported cases in the county.
In surrounding counties, the number of cases and deaths is as follows (through June 16):
Covington: 213, 3 deaths;
Forrest: 697, 41 deaths;
Jasper: 203, 4 deaths;
Lamar: 300, 6 deaths;
Perry: 55, 3 deaths;
Smith: 182, 11 deaths with 8 of those in long-term care facilities; and
Wayne: 409, 8 deaths.
Statewide: 20,641 cases with 938 deaths have been reported overall. Right at half of those deaths (477) have been in long-term care facilities.
According to information released by the Centers for Disease Control on Monday, there have been 2.1 million reported cases nationwide with 116,140 total deaths related to COVID-19. Four hundred and ninety-six (496) of those deaths occurred Monday. Based on those total numbers, 6 percent of the U.S. population has tested positive for the virus so far, while fewer than 1 percent has died from the disease during the pandemic.