The mask mandate for Leflore County is staying in place for the time being.
The Leflore County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to keep the order. Gov. Tate Reeves allowed the statewide mandate to expire last Wednesday.
After the supervisors’ meeting, Reginald Moore, board vice president, said he felt that this was the safest thing to do as cases of COVID-19 still occur across the United States.
“We are still in the middle of the pandemic, and there are several hotspots that are popping up throughout the country,” Moore said. “We just want to be vigilant in protecting ourselves and our citizens. So, we are going to leave the mask mandate in place until further notice.”
District 1 Supervisor Sam Abraham agreed.
“It can’t hurt it; it can only help,” Abraham said after the meeting. “I’m not trying to force people to do things, but right now we need to keep our distance and stuff.”
Abraham added that he felt wearing a mask does not seem like “such a big thing to ask,” since masks protect the people who are wearing them as well as others.
“Anything we can do to minimize the risk of catching the virus, that’s what I want to try and do,” he said.
Before the vote, Fred Randle, director of the Greenwood-Leflore Emergency Management Agency, told the board that the eight technologically advanced thermometers approved by the board in August have been shipped.
The cost of the thermometers is covered by coronaviirus-related reimbursement grants. These grants also will cover the expenses for quarantining employees, as well as pay for those working to mitigate COVID-19.
Tentatively, the thermometers are to be placed in the Sheriff’s Office, the Civic Center, the Juvenile Detention Center, the Unit System building, the jail and the Solid Waste Department. Two will go in the courthouse.
•Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. Twitter: @AdamBakst_GWCW
