Governor Tate Reeves extended Mississippi’s State of Emergency by another 30 days on Monday, drawing the order into November as the state sees a decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

​​This extension will continue to facilitate the state’s COVID-19 response allowing the state to contract additional workers to staff hospitals, transfer patients to available beds across the state and call on the aid of the Mississippi National Guard. Additionally, state school boards and state agencies can issue paid leave to staff in pandemic related issues.

The governor does not plan to instate any lockdowns or mandates.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 820 more cases of COVID-19, 41 deaths, and 57 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The state has a total of 496,132 cases and 9,874 deaths, and 1,339,711 persons have been fully vaccinated.

Lafayette County has 21 more cases of COVID-19. There have been no reports of deaths or LTC facility outbreaks.

The county has a total of 8,434 cases, 137 deaths, 199 LTC facility outbreaks and 56 LTC facility deaths.

Mississippi is experiencing a notable decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations overall, but, as of Oct. 11, it still ranks the highest in COVID-19 death rates with 330 deaths per 100,000 people.

“Stable cases but still too many deaths,” said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “We have lost too many to COVID in MS. We have the tools to prevent these deaths.”

According to Dobbs, hospital census is continuing to decline while bed availability opens up.

“Although the magnitude of the tragedy is starting to decline, we’re going to continue to see ongoing personal tragedy that, sadly, is almost entirely preventable,” said Dobbs.