Yazoo City is extending emergency orders related to COVID-19 as Yazoo County’s vaccination rate remains among the lowest in the state at 25 percent.
"We only have 25 percent of our people vaccinated, "Mayor Diane Delaware said."That doesn't even get us to the average. I'm embarrassed by it. I went to a meeting the other day and I was embarrassed to see that almost every county around us had much higher vaccination rates."
According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, Yazoo County’s 25 percent vaccination rate is lower than all of the surrounding counties and among the lowest in the state. Madison County has a 47 percent vaccination rate, which is the highest in the state. Holmes County has a 39 percent vaccination rate.
The city did increase the limit on gatherings from 10 to 30 people after the increase was suggested by Ward 2 Alderman Andre Lloyd.
Masks are still required in public places. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen voted 3-2 to extend Yazoo City’s emergency proclamations with Ward 3 Alderman Sir Jonathan Rucker and Ward 4 Alderwoman voting in opposition.
Delaware said that many areas have lifted mask requirements due to new guidelines from the Center for Disease Control stating that individuals who have been fully vaccinated can safely visit public places without masks. She said that the local vaccination rate is still too low for Yazoo City to lift restrictions, however.
"There are some CDC guidelines that are confusing, and I want to clear those up," Delaware said. "I can only clear them up for the moment because there may be some completely different guidelines after this meeting. The CDC says that if you have been fully vaccinated that you can take your mask off and go wherever you want, and you can pretty much go back to your normal life. If you have not been vaccinated then the CDC has some rules for you."
Delaware noted that the local rules apply regardless of statewide changes.
"Yazoo City has home rule," Delaware said. "We have emergency proclamations, and our emergency proclamations are still in place."
Many Yazooans have started to ignore the mask requirements, and some local businesses are no longer requiring customers to wear them. Delaware said the city will continue to enforce the rules.
"We will never get 100 percent enforcement or 100 percent compliance," Delaware said.
Delaware said there are plenty of opportunities for residents to get vaccines at no cost.
"You can even go to Walmart and get vaccinated for free," Delaware said.
The mayor urged residents to help get Yazoo County’s vaccination rate higher.
"I'm asking everyone to get vaccinated," Delaware said. "The sooner we all get vaccinated the sooner we can open our city and get back to some semblance of normalcy."
Delaware also made a personal appeal to Black residents, who she said may not be getting vaccinated because of unfounded fears.
"To all of my Black friends, a black female created the Moderna vaccine," Delaware said. "She's not trying to trick you. She's not trying to harm you."
Delaware said she believes some residents also have misinformation about “herd immunity.”
"There is a lot of confusion about herd immunity," Delaware said. "One way to get herd immunity is for everyone to get sick, and the weak die. Then they're gone. The other way, and the most common way, is to deal with it like we've done everything else from the measles to the chicken pox and get vaccinated. That's what we do because we walk on two legs and not four so we know that science can create a vaccine to protect us. We don't know where this virus came from, but we do know how to get rid of it, and that is to get a vaccination."
Editors Note: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Alderwoman Thomas voted in favor of extending the emergency proclamations.
