JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves will update the public on the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The event is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be streamed on WREG.com.
On Thursday, Reeves said the state is about to see “a dramatic increase in testing and localized, targeted action based on that data.”
“Consulting with our state’s health experts, we have established a statewide standard of social distancing and defining essential businesses to slow the spread,” Reeves said. “There should be no confusion about my intent and commitment to protecting public health.”
According to the Mississippi Department of Health’s data, Desoto County has the most number of confirmed cases at 49 cases with Hinds County reporting 43.
Mississippi reported at least six deaths from the virus on Thursday, with 485 total cases.
Reeves issued an executive order Tuesday telling restaurants to close their dining rooms. During Thursday’s press conference, Reeves issued a supplement to that executive order to provide more direction to state leaders.
The supplement states no measures that are less restrictive than the executive order can be adopted, and that any existing local measures can remain in place as long as they provide the “same minimum standards” as the executive order.
The supplement also states existing local measures cannot impose restrictions that would prevent essential services from operating.