On April 30, Gov. Tate Reeves signed Executive Order 1551, ending any statewide restrictions related to COVID-19 except for the public school mask mandate through the end of the school year. Reeves still urged Mississippians to follow the Center for Disease Control and Mississippi State Department of Health’s guidelines related to the spread of COVID-19, including:

• Mask wearing in certain situations
• Avoiding large gatherings, particularly indoor gatherings
• Maintaining social distancing
• Washing your hands
• Isolating if you feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms

Further, businesses are encouraged to follow CDC and MSDH guidelines, such as screening employees, encouraging PPE wearing, encouraging social distancing, cleaning, and having hand sanitizer available.

Executive Order 1551 does not end local government restrictions currently in place. This means city or county governments can have stricter regulations than the state, as long as essential business operations can continue.

This executive order comes on the heels of a steady low rate of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi and increased vaccination rates.

To view the executive order, click here.