JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) announced he will extend Mississippi’s State of Emergency for 30 more days.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Gov. Reeves said the extension will ease the process of marshalling additional resources, allow the system of care to continue to transfer patients to hospitals where treatment is available, ensure expanded access to telemedicine, and will keep options open for use of the Mississippi National Guard.
Officials announced on Wednesday a 50-bed field hospital will open in a parking garage at UMMC. The temporary facility could be open by Friday, August 13. This comes after COVID-19 cases continue surging in Mississippi, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S.
Gov. Reeves also confirmed that there will be no lockdowns and no statewide mandates. His full statement is below:
In coordination with Dr. Dobbs and Director McCraney, I will extend Mississippi’s State of Emergency for 30 more days. This extension will ease the process of marshalling additional resources for our response (that I described yesterday), allow our system of care to continue to transfer patients to hospitals where treatment is available, ensure expanded access to telemedicine, and will keep options open for use of the great men and women of the MS National Guard. There will be no lockdowns and there will be no statewide mandates.I did not make this decision without extensive consideration of all factors but I am convinced this action is the best path forward given the ever-changing environment we currently face. Stay safe Mississippi and God Bless!
