NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Adams County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to extend the local COVID mask mandate through April or until enough residents have been vaccinated.
While two supervisors said they just want to “strongly urge” people to wear face coverings, they were outvoted by the three board members who said government needs to require masks be worn in public settings “to keep our people safe.”
Adams County board President Angela Hutchins said more time is needed to ensure enough residents get their COVID vaccines to protect them from the highly contagious virus. She also expressed concerns about more people gathering together during the spring break. “We don’t know what the spike is going to be after that,” Hutchins said.
However, Supervisor Kevin Wilson, who noted the downward spread of the coronavirus, said it’s time to rescind the eight-month mask mandate for Natchez-Adams County.
“People are ready to start back with their lives again. It’s been a long year,” Wilson said.
Supervisors Ricky Gray and Warren Gaines joined Hutchins in voting to extend the mask mandate until April 30. Supervisor Wes Middleton joined Wilson in voting against this. The extension through April can be lifted if a 15,000-vaccination threshold is reached for Natchez-Adams County.
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