Reeves stated that mask wearing is not required for the Nov. 3 elections, even in these counties. He believes it would be an unconstitutional restriction. Reeves noted that protests during the pandemic attracted larger crowds than those allowed, but they were still permitted as protected speech. Reeves stated that he expects that a large majority of Mississippians will wear a mask when they vote. “… “I think you will find that we will have safe and secure elections in Mississippi,” Reeves said. The new counties Reeves added Monday to the mandate for mask wearing are: Harrison (Madison, Marshall), Jones, Carroll, Leake, Leake, Carroll, Leake, and Benton. Reeves last week ordered the wearing of masks in the following counties: Chickasaw. Claiborne. DeSoto. Forrest. Itawamba. Jackson. Lamar. Lee. Additional counties may be added to the list if there are more than 200 cases or 500 cases per 100,000 people in a two-week period depending on the size of the county. Reeves stated that these counties will limit social gatherings to 10 indoors and 50 outside, but this will not prohibit high school football games which are covered by separate orders. Reeves’ most recent executive orders require that all hospitals in the state have a minimum of 10% capacity for COVID-19 patient. A hospital that does not have 10% capacity will be forced to postpone elective procedures. Reeves stated that this was done during summer peak to alleviate pressure on hospitals. Reeves lifted the statewide mask mandate on September 30th, making Mississippi the first state in the country to do so. This mandate had been issued by Reeves back on August 4. Reeves also eased restrictions on social gatherings. Since then, the number of cases has increased. The Mississippi average case load dropped by 54% over the period of the statewide mandate. Reeves was reluctant to issue a statewide order for masks in the summer. Instead, he took a county-by–county approach until overloaded state hospitals. Reeves said that he prefers COVID-19 orders limited to “the heavy handed of government” and that a mandate for masks “isn’t a silver bullet.” He also stated that he believes people will pay more attention to regional mask orders based upon case spikes. The state Health Department reported Monday that there were 447 new COVID-19 deaths, 8 new deaths, and 683 hospitalizations. There have been 3,263 COVID-19-related deaths in the state.