Mississippi County is proactively responding to the continuing outbreak of COVID-19. We have put into place a number of significant measures to limit person to person contact, and provide our courthouse buildings with resources to mitigate the impact of the spread of this infectious disease.  In order to assure the safety of our court officials, jurors, interested parties and the public at large, we have doubled our custodial staff to meet the stringent guidelines suggested by Governor Hutchinson, the Center for Disease Control and the Arkansas Health Department. 

Mississippi County Government is taking every measure to ensure your safety.  Your protection and the security to your health is our number one priority.  We do not take this pandemic lightly. 

We have since doubled the applications of disinfectants to all of our building's entrances and exits as well as doorways, accessing rooms and hallways in all of our buildings and sanitize all high-touch surfaces in the courtroom and common areas of the courthouse buildings and after and between court proceedings. 

If you are attending a court proceeding, court officials and visitors will be required to wear masks, maintain six feet between others, and compulsory submission to initial entry of temperature readings.  Hand sanitizers have been installed in various places throughout our courthouse buildings.  Those parties who are admitted to court proceedings will be limited to seating only where individuals can be at a minimum of six feet apart.  You will not be allowed close contact with others, or others with you, and those whose internal temperature exceeds 99 degrees will not be allowed entrance to the building. 

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, develop a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, please do not attempt to enter any county building.  If you do not have a mask, one will be furnished to you at no costs; no one in any county courtroom will be allowed to enter without a mask, and that mask will be worn at all times while indoors with no exceptions.  The buildings will be monitored for the practice of social distancing, and while in the courtrooms everyone must follow strict physical distancing protocols with six feet between individuals. 

As of 8:00 AM this morning, July 8, 2020, Mississippi County has recorded 52.3 people per 10,000 residents who have tested positive to the Coronavirus this year, with 86 active cases as of today.  The State of Arkansas recorded 77 people per 10,000 residents, 6,701 active cases and Pulaski 64 per 10,000 residents, 735 active cases.  Our surrounding counties, Craighead at 46 per ten thousand, 53 active; Greene at 28, 24 active; Poinsett at 26, 8 active; Crittenden at 159, 142 active.  

We remain committed to lowering the number of Positive Cases in Mississippi County.  While we monitor these numbers from the Arkansas Department of Health, we also monitor and implement the suggestions for controlling the virus from the Governors Office, the Arkansas Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control. 

John Alan Nelson, County Judge

Mississippi County, Arkansas