Senate Minority Leader Derrick T. Simmons joins Mississippi House Leader Robert Johnson in Urging Governor and Lawmakers to release critical funding to battle COVID-19 pandemic
Mississippi
is in crisis, especially our healthcare system which is collapsing.
State leaders must act now with urgency. Until today, the governor was
missing. Our legislative leadership
is currently wasting time in hearings on medical marijuana and
scheduling soon to occur hearings on income tax reform instead of
focusing on getting COVID-19 numbers lowered.
Our
hospitals are out of Intensive Care Unit beds and the University of
Mississippi Medical Center has set up hospital beds in garages and tents
to treat our sick.
Today,
our state health department reported 5,023 more cases of COVID-19 in
Mississippi, 31 deaths, and 166 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care
facilities. This was one of the highest
reporting days since the pandemic began, with 381,147 total cases,
7,761 total deaths, and 1,065,743 persons fully vaccinated.
It
is not time for politics or for state leaders to play who can out-Trump
the other. People are getting sick and dying at an alarming rate and we
must fight this virus together
with science and facts. Thank you Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann for
recognizing that our healthcare workers are overwhelmed and we must all
work together to stop the spread of Covid-19. I thank Dr. Thomas
Dobbs, his team, and all our true leaders during
this crisis - Mississippi health care and essential workers. Our
hearts, prayers, and safe wishes are with each of you and your families.
Mississippi
has nearly $2 billion dollars in federal funds to be used for battling
the pandemic. We have a shortage of nurses, healthcare, and frontline
workers. Those dollars should
be used to immediately enhance pay of essential workers and hire more
of them. Our nurses are leaving Mississippi to work in states using
these same federal funds to attract more essential workers by paying
them more.
It’s time for the governor and all of us to stop politicizing this critical issue.
Let’s
follow the instructions of doctors, scientists, our own Chief State
Health officer, and other national health care leaders.
The
governor should issue a statewide mask mandate now especially for
schools. He should be Mississippi’s loudest and most visible cheerleader
for getting more people vaccinated.
More
importantly the governor should call a special session and instruct the
legislature to immediately appropriate the money and create the
measures needed to bolster and help our
healthcare system take care of those people who are suffering and to
help our school systems provide a safe and effective environment for our
teachers and children.
If each of us could just for one second act as if the next illness or death will be in our home, then join me by respectfully asking our governor and other state leaders to boldly respond to this crisis by being the loudest microphone on urging Mississippians to get vaccinated and by issuing the same mask mandate that was issued when the virus was not as deadly and transmissible.
Please call me at 601-359-3221 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if I can be of assistance. Please know that I am always looking to improve our district and our state and your input is valuable.

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