100 signatures reached
To: Governor Tate Reeves
Covid Crisis Calls for Action: Mississippi Mask Mandate
Governor Reeves,
The current Covid crisis here in Mississippi deserves action. Your constituents are suffering. Hospitalizations are at the highest rates so far during this pandemic. The most effective deterrent of infection prior to vaccinations was the face mask mandate. Considering that as of last week only 36% (according to the numbers based at the MSDH site linked here https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/12130.pdf) of the State’s population was fully vaccinated, masks would greatly protect the unvaccinated percentage of our population and decrease transmission rates of the virus. Masks prevent anywhere from “50-70% of exhaled small droplets and particles” from being transmitted (source listed here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536). Our ICUs are overrun with covid positive patients. Our emergency rooms are so full of critically ill covid patients that our ICU nurses are being pulled to treat boarded patients in the emergency departments. We cannot continue to provide quality care, as you promised to your citizens, when we have no hospital beds or staff remaining. The gravity of the situation strains all of our nurses, but even more importantly compromises patient care. Governor Reeves, we are tired of seeing patients die, and we are tired of standing aside while new patients continue to contract the virus. Please, renew the mask mandate for the state of Mississippi!
Sincerely,
Your Mississippi Nurses
The current Covid crisis here in Mississippi deserves action. Your constituents are suffering. Hospitalizations are at the highest rates so far during this pandemic. The most effective deterrent of infection prior to vaccinations was the face mask mandate. Considering that as of last week only 36% (according to the numbers based at the MSDH site linked here https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/12130.pdf) of the State’s population was fully vaccinated, masks would greatly protect the unvaccinated percentage of our population and decrease transmission rates of the virus. Masks prevent anywhere from “50-70% of exhaled small droplets and particles” from being transmitted (source listed here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536). Our ICUs are overrun with covid positive patients. Our emergency rooms are so full of critically ill covid patients that our ICU nurses are being pulled to treat boarded patients in the emergency departments. We cannot continue to provide quality care, as you promised to your citizens, when we have no hospital beds or staff remaining. The gravity of the situation strains all of our nurses, but even more importantly compromises patient care. Governor Reeves, we are tired of seeing patients die, and we are tired of standing aside while new patients continue to contract the virus. Please, renew the mask mandate for the state of Mississippi!
Sincerely,
Your Mississippi Nurses
Why is this important?
Mississippians deserve to be protected by their elected officials. A mask mandate would help the public realize the dire circumstances occurring in our hospitals.