By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
With a sharp increase of positive COVID-19 cases in Oxford among University of Mississippi students, the Oxford Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday evening to extend the face-covering requirement for another two weeks.
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 14 new cases in Lafayette County Tuesday; however, Mayor Robyn Tannehill said that is only a small part of the actual number of cases being reported.
University students currently living in Oxford but are from other counties or states and are testing positive for the virus are not being counted in the MSDH’s numbers for Lafayette County. Those tests are counted in the counties and states the students are from originally.
Tannehill said she contacted four local urgent care clinics in Oxford asking them how many students have tested positive with COVID-19 since June 1.
Between the four clinics, there have been 162 confirmed cases of the virus that are not part of the daily reported MSDH’s numbers.
“I lot of these cases go back to recent rush parties,” Tannehill said. “It’s my understanding that the University of Mississippi has sent out a notice to fraternity’s that if a rush party is held in Oxford or in another city, the fraternity holding that party will be put on social probation.”
Tannehill also reported that Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi is still seeing an increase of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 – with 16 percent of its ICU beds and 6 percent of its regular beds being taken up by patients with COVID-19.
“They are still not near any critical level,” she said during the meeting Tuesday. “At this time Baptist Hospital has plenty of room to treat people with any illness anyone may have.”
Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Allgood reported that there has also been an increase in the number cases at construction sites in Oxford.
Visit Oxford, the organization that promotes tourism in Oxford, conducted an online survey of local restaurants and businesses asking their thoughts on requiring customers and workers to wear face coverings.
“The majority would like to see the face mask requirement continued,” Tannehill said.
The board voted to continue the requirement for two weeks and will bring the topic back up for discussion on June 29.
