STATE WIDE–Gov. Tate Reeves stressed during a news conference Thursday that he doesn’t believe it’s his job as governor to make blanket decisions for school districts across the state. He said he believes shutting down all schools because of coronavirus is a mistake.
“I’m not, as governor, going to tell every single school and every single school district exactly what they can and what they cannot do to try to keep their kids safe,” he said. “But, I will say that keeping kids in the classroom is exceptionally important for their long-term academic growth and their success in life.”
The governor made his remarks on the same day that Mississippi became the state with the worst seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases. One in eight Mississippians has had the virus.
The governor has stood his ground in not issuing a state-wide mask mandate.
“I do not give a damn about any political agenda,” he said.
Reeves said he also will not tell people what to do about getting the vaccine, though he has gotten it himself and has encouraged Mississippians to get it.
In the past day 4,807 new coronavirus infections have been reported, with 21 deaths. Two of those people were in central Mississippi, in Neshoba County.
