As of December 21, Choctaw County had 453 cases with 10 deaths since March 2020. The state Health Department said that Mississippi, with a population of about 3 million, has reported more than 195,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 4,411 deaths from COVID-19 as of Monday evening. The MSDH estimates that 154,669 persons have recovered from COVID-19 in the state.
Choctaw County remains under a mask mandate through Jan. 15 by Governor Tate Reeves executive order.
The Governor has also ordered the following statewide restrictions on gatherings:
• Large gatherings, especially indoors, are discouraged. Gatherings and group activities are limited to 10 people indoors and 50 people outdoors when individuals from different households are closer than six feet apart.
Limits on gathering sizes do not apply to students in classrooms, voting precincts and religious entities.
Indoor arena attendance is limited to 10% or less of full capacity, not to exceed 1,000 persons, to ensure at least 6 feet of separation between those from different households.
Outdoor arena attendance is limited to 25% or less of full capacity to ensure at least 6 feet of separation between those from different households.
• Organized school events for kindergarten through grade 12 have special face covering and social distance requirements.
Vaccines have arrived in Mississippi.
25,000 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Mississippi, and distribution has begun to hospitals and health facilities for administration to those involved in COVID-19 patient care. Long-term care facility residents and staff are also our first priority for vaccination.
Additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine are expected over the coming weeks, with expansion of vaccination to all healthcare workers in any setting and continued priority on long-term care settings.
