Beginning from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, the Mayor’s Health Council, with the help of Vessels of Mercy Health Team, will be hosting a free mask give-away at the Headquarters Fire Station, 532 Central St.
The event is supported by the Mississippi Department of Health and the Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative.
Masks to be given out have been provided by the Mayor’s Office and Harlow’s Casino Resort and Spa and are being distributed in an effort to assist those in need of face coverings due to residents being unable to find them because of high demand.
“The City strongly encourages our residents to wear masks or some type of face coverings to save and protect lives. Wearing a mask does not replace or act as an alternative to social distancing, hand washing, and following all state, federal, and CDC guidelines,” Mayor Errick Simmons said in a press release Tuesday.
Harlow’s president and general manager Roscoe Green said Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa is proud to be a sponsor along with the mayor’s office in providing masks to members of the community.
“I am extremely passionate in giving back to the community in any manner possible. Harlow’s understands the importance of being a good corporate citizen and assisting our friends and neighbors is such a rewarding experience,” Green said.
Simmons also announced that on Friday, the Office of the Mayor learned a Greenville City Hall employee tested positive for COVID-19.
As a result, City Hall was closed from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday for deep cleaning and sanitizing by ServPro, a private contractor.
“We feel very confident and good about the deep cleaning and sanitizing that ServPro did on Monday. They sanitized every single inch of City Hall given one of the employees has tested positive for COVID-19,” he said.
Mayor Simmons said he was immediately was tested, and the results were negative.
All City Hall employees have been instructed on testing procedures.
City Hall remains closed to the general public and if need be, according to Simmons, meetings can be scheduled with various departments by appointment.
He added, “We feel we’ve done a good job of making sure that we take very cautious preventive measures in handwashing, sanitizing and cleaning necessary to make city hall safe not only for employees, but for the general public.”
Simmons also expressed his gratitude for Delta Regional Medical Center for continuing to be the chief medical provider in the Mississippi Delta area in regards to COVID-19 and other medical matters and medical needs of residents.
As of Monday’s report from the Mississippi State Department of Health, there are a total of 215 reported cases of COVID-19, eight deaths and seven long-term care facility cases in Washington County.
There are a total of 17,768 cases of COVID-19 reported in the state of Mississippi and 837 deaths.
