As many as 41 people who work in the Mississippi capitol, including 30 legislators, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the state’s chief public health official said, the most of any state legislature in the country.
State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said the number is five more individuals than was known last week, which he attributed to more testing, and is the more than any other group of state lawmakers in the U.S., according to The Associated Press.
Two capitol workers were hospitalized, according to Dobbs, who did not identify them.
Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, both Republicans, were reported last week to be among the officials infected.
Among states, Mississippi has the 25th most reported cases in the country, 38,567, according to worldometer.info, and the 22nd most deaths, 1,290. It is 16th among new reported cases, which has been trending lower since reaching a high of 1,265 on June 22.
The Mississippi legislature recessed on July 1, which began the new budget year, after meeting for most of June. The AP reported that while people with masks were visible, it was not uncommon to see many people without face coverings as well as crowding into elevators and meeting rooms.
Unfinished business for the state legislature includes approving a budget for the Department of Marine Resources and a vote on a possible override of Republican Gov. Tate Reeves's veto of parts of the education budget.
Reeves, who on Thursday re-imposed restrictions in 13 counties including the wearing masks and banning large gatherings, said he does not yet know when it will be safe to bring legislators back to address those issues.
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