MISSISSIPPI – Tate Reeves, governor of Mississippi announced on Tuesday March 2 that he is lifting all mask mandates. “The governor’s office is getting out of the business of telling people what they can and cannot do,” said Reeves. The order went into effect the following day on March 3. While masks are no longer required, all people are recommended to follow CDC guidelines and to continue to listen to health officials as time goes on. Indoor venues will still have a capacity of 50%. Governor Reeves is still trying to get everyone vaccinated saying that vaccines are “a new, better tool to combat COVID.” The Mississippi State Department of Health on Monday reported that over 400,000 people in Mississippi have received their first dose and around 219,000 people have had their second dose of the vaccination.  

(Compiled from Mississippi Today for the Guilford Voyager by Ewan Bickford, original reporting done by Will Stribling.)