After big county fair, virus hits hard in rural Mississippi

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A rural county in Mississippi is being overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, two weeks after it hosted a big fair that drew thousands of visitors. People lived in cabins at the Neshoba County Fair, attended shoulder-to-shoulder outdoor concerts and horseraces. They also listened to stump speeches, including one where Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said federal guidance on mask-wearing was “foolish.” As of Friday, Neshoba County had the highest per-capita COVID-19 caseload in Mississippi and the 55th highest among all counties in the U.S. The CEO of Neshoba General Hospital, Lee McCall, says staff at the 25-bed facility are at a breaking point.