Mississippi residents face jail, fines if they don't quarantine after getting positive COVID-19 test

Posted at 10:34 AM, Aug 23, 2021

and last updated 11:34 AM, Aug 23, 2021

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi residents can now face jail time or fines if they refuse to self-isolate after receiving a positive COVID-19 test, according to a new emergency state health order. According to the order issued Friday by Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs, those who contract COVID-19 must isolate themselves at home for 10 days once they become aware that they are infected, regardless of their vaccination status.

COVID-19 test

Photo by: Gregory Bull/AP A resident of Vi at La Jolla retirement complex dances during an afternoon pep rally, Wednesday, April 8, 2020, in San Diego. As elderly residents who have been quarantined for weeks make their way out onto their balconies, employees below dance, wave flags and shout words of encouragement in a now almost daily afternoon pep rally. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) By: KSTU Staff Posted at 10:34 AM, Aug 23, 2021 and last updated 11:34 AM, Aug 23, 2021 JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi residents can now face jail time or fines if they refuse to self-isolate after receiving a positive COVID-19 test, according to a new emergency state health order. According to the order issued Friday by Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs, those who contract COVID-19 must isolate themselves at home for 10 days once they become aware that they are infected, regardless of their vaccination status. Recent Stories from newschannel5.com Skip Ad “A negative test for COVID-19 is not required to end isolation at the end of 10 days, but you must be fever free for at least 24 hours with improvement of other symptoms,” the order reads. The order stated that refusal to obey could result in a $500 fine, up to six months in jail, or both. However, when a life-threatening disease is involved, the refusal to obey the order could include up to $5,000 in fines, five years of jail time or both, according to the state health order. Mississippi has recently started to experience its third and largest wave of COVID-19 cases amid the spread of the contagious delta variant. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state saw 5,048 new cases on Thursday, the most since the start of the pandemic.