Yazoo County had its 17th death reported to be related to COVID-19 on Thursday.
There are now a total of 912 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Yazoo County according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
Mississippi reported 894 new cases of COVID-19 statewide with 27 deaths on Thursday.
Mayor Diane Delaware said she is very thankful to the citizens who are following the city’s ordinances pertaining to COVID, including wearing masks, social distancing and adhering to the city’s 9 p.m. curfew. Based on what is reported to her, Delaware said she attempts to narrow the city’s COVID cases apart from the overall county confirmed cases.
“It is very important that you give you some kind of notion of what is happening,” she said. “We don’t get an accurate count. We have to count them ourselves based upon the information provided because the count is generally for the county.”
Based on her calculations, Delaware said 194 cases were reported in Yazoo City for the month of July.
“We have a pandemic,” she said. “It has made us not have school. It has closed down the whole world. It is real. It is not a hoax. People are sick.”
Delaware said she hopes that the younger generation will take COVID seriously, particularly with the risk it has upon the elderly.
“The elderly can’t really tell you what to do anymore,” Delaware said. “In some ways, they are obeying the young. So, let’s protect them. They protected us so we should be protected them. That is not so much to ask of us.”
During the recent Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, the city council extended its COVID restriction, which prohibits gatherings of ten or more people, limits the gatherings of ten people or fewer, closes all bars, limits access to restaurants, enforces a 9 p.m. curfew and requires masks be worn in public places.
“This board has been wonderful, and we have done all we can do,” Delaware continued. “Let us believe that we can do everything possible to control COVID in Yazoo County and Yazoo City. It’s not going to just disappear.”
