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“You can say it is not my job, it is not my responsibility, or you can find a way to address that in the right manner, that might mean doing things beyond what you normally do to provide an answer.”
TALK JXN
@jacksonfreepress
— Retired FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze on the need for police to work with social-service agencies
ce eren rev September 16 - 29, 2020 • jfp.ms
@jxnfreepress
Fall Update COVID-19: What We Know Now By Nick Judin
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fter months of COVID-19 growth, Mississippi is in the middle of a stable decline in viral spread, lessening the stress placed on the health-care system and reducing the deaths that follow every new cluster of cases. By Wednesday, Sept. 9, the seven-day rolling average of new cases had dropped to 491, the first time that number had declined below 500 since June 21, 2020. State health leadership attributes the drop in transmission to widespread acceptance of the same principles of infection control known to protect public health at the peak of the pandemic in Mississippi. But success can be fleeting in the fight against coronavirus. While Mississippi’s numbers are on a markedly positive trend, the state is now mostly open, with students in schools and colleges and many businesses back to work on premises. The close proximity provides the tinder for the rampant spread of the virus if the measures are abandoned. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs highlighted on Sept. 10 the progress being made with the help of masking and social distancing. “We can see that our efforts have been fruitful, even in context of outbreaks in college towns, (and) transmission in K-12, which has really gone better than we anticipated,” he said. In the first month of full in-person classes, which have become the norm for the 2020 fall semester in Mississippi, more than 17,000 students, teachers and staff members have been reported quarantined as a result of exposure to COVID-19. At least 1,700 have tested positive, though the Mississippi State Department of Health’s contact-tracing efforts have shown that it is large-scale social gatherings, like block parties and sorority and fraternity life events, that have led to the most dramatic amounts of transmission around schools. With months of research, testing and tracing to draw from, the Jackson Free Press reached out to experts including Dr. Bhagyashri Navalkele, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
CORONAVIRUS TRANSMISSION Fomites
Fomites are contaminated objects and surfaces that transmit coronavirus from your hands to your eyes, nose or mouth. Fomite spread is more likely on hard, non-porous materials like metals and plastics. Regular use of hand sanitizer and vigorous hand-washing can prevent fomite spread.
Droplets
Droplets are moist particles expelled from speaking, breathing, coughing and sneezing. They are considered to be the primary vector of COVID-19 infection. Virusbearing droplets can spread coronavirus through your eyes, nose or mouth. Droplets do not remain airborne long: 6 feet of distance limits exposure, but masks covering the mouth and nose are the best prevention.
Hand washing
Mask wearing
Aerosols
Aerosols are tiny particulates that infected carriers exhale, especially when shouting, singing, or speaking. Aerosols are mostly inhaled as a means of transmitting the virus. Unlike droplets, aerosols can remain airborne for several hours, can travel further than 6 feet, and may accumulate, especially in poorly ventilated, closed spaces. Masks, worn snugly and properly, are extremely effective at containing aerosols. Remaining outdoors, where aerosols cannot accumulate, also prevents transmission
Eye protection Mask wearing Staying outdoors
Hand sanitization Social distancing
Staying outdoors
Social distancing
Ventilation
Source: CDC / UMMC
The most up-to-date information on COVID-19 confirms many of the baseline infection-control standards—like masks and social distancing—but also reveals a more complete understanding of what makes the virus dangerous.
in Jackson as well as state health leadership from MSDH, to provide an update on COVID-19 prevention and control standards and where they now stand.
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Detecting Coronavirus Coronavirus disease often outwardly presents as a respiratory ailment similar to the flu, with common symptoms of cough-
ing, sore throats, nasal congestion, muscle fatigue and shortness of breath. A valuable early-warning sign of COVID-19 for even mild, but still highly infectious, cases
2020 Elections Calendar, Abbreviated
lection season is upon us. The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office Elections Division maintains a 2020 Elections Calendar that Mississippians can use to plan out how they participate in elections this year. Browse the following significant dates as they may relate to you. View the full calendar at sos. ms.gov. • Sept. 21—Absentee Ballots Available: Earliest day to vote by an absentee ballot in the Circuit Clerk’s Office in the November General Election.
• Sept. 21—Required Issuance of TVIC: Circuit Clerk Offices issue a Temporary Missississippi Voter ID card (TVIC) to voters who apply and are eligible for the Mississippi Voter ID card through the date of the General Election. • Sept. 24—Permanently Disabled Absentee Voters: Circuit Clerk Offices mail absentee ballots to voters on the permanently disabled list. • Sept. 29-Oct. 3—Voter Registration: Circuit Clerk Offices may remain open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., including the noon hour.
General election
vot e r O ct. 5 registration deadline
• Oct. 5—General Election Voter Registration Deadline: Applicants who register in-person in a Circuit Clerk’s office today and those who mail registration applications postmarked no later than today are eligible to vote in the General Election. • Oct. 31—In-Person Absentee
Voting Deadline, 5:00 p.m.: Circuit Clerk Offices are open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. • Nov. 3—General Election and Regular Special Election Day: Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. • Dec. 3—Absentee Ballot by Mail, UOCAVA Absentee by Mail Ballot, Receipt Deadline, 5 p.m.: Circuit Clerk Offices must be in actual receipt of absentee ballots returned by mail for ballots to be timely. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on/before election day to be timely.
