Violators of face mask order subject to $500 fine and 6 months in jail

By Aaron Rice
July 10, 2020

The new executive order mandating face masks and limiting public gatherings for Mississippi’s most populous counties can come with a fine of up to $500 and/ or six months in jail for violators. State, county, and local law enforcement, as well as government entities such as the Department of Health, may enforce the order. 

This is according to Mississippi Code 33-15-43.

The order that Gov. Tate Reeves signed today, which will go into effect Monday, impacts residents and businesses of Hinds, Desoto, Madison, Harrison, Rankin, Jackson, Washington, Sunflower, Grenada, Claiborne, Jefferson, Wayne, and Quitman counties. The order lasts one week, though it can certainly be extended before it expires. 

All retail businesses are required to mandate that all employees and customers wear a mask. For people in public, everyone must wear a mask when in a public setting. Additionally, groups are now limited to no more than 10 indoors and no more than 20 outdoors. 

Prior to the order, mask ordinances had been enacted at the local level in Jackson, Tupelo, Starkville, Oxford, Hattiesburg, Greenwood, Columbus, West Point, Natchez, Grenada, and Greenville.

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