Mississippi threatens fines, jail time for Covid patients who don’t self-isolate



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Mississippi’s top health official on Friday threatened people diagnosed with Covid-19 who do not isolate themselves at home with jail.

State health worker Dr. Thomas Dobbs has issued an “isolation order” which states that “All persons residing in Mississippi must immediately self-isolate at home upon first knowledge of an infection. by COVID-19 “.

Failure to do so could result in fines and jail time. Dobbs’ order mentions two possible levels of violation. One, a refusal to obey a health worker, is accompanied by a fine of $ 500 and possibly six months behind bars.

But the order says that when a fatal illness is implicated in a refusal to obey, violators could face a fine of up to $ 5,000 and possibly five years behind bars.

State epidemiologist Paul Byers said Mississippi had the highest number of new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people nationwide. “These numbers are staggering guys,” he said in a weekly update on the Mississippi pandemic.

Only seven intensive care beds were available statewide on Thursday following its fourth wave of Covid-19.

On Thursday, the state reported 5,048 new cases and 54 deaths. By comparison, San Diego County, with a population size similar to Mississippi, reported 1,495 new cases and seven new deaths on Friday.

The Mississippi ordinance states that Covid-19 patients must stay at home or in an appropriate “residential location” for at least 10 days without contacting others.

He also said Mississippi schools must allow students and staff who have Covid-19 to isolate themselves from campuses.

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