Leader of Mississippi’s largest hospital says ‘time to make tough decisions’ calls for school delays

Published 10:18 pm Monday, August 3, 2020

The top leader of Mississippi’s biggest hospital system called joined a chorus of health leaders and concerned parents calling for the state to delay reopening schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus.

Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, shared her comments Monday evening on social media.

“It is time to make the tough decisions – for the health of all Mississippians,” she wrote “A statewide mask mandate (wash hands, too!), K-12 schools delay start until after Labor Day (#COVID19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths need to move in the right direction)”

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Woodward joined Mississippi’s State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs who said on Friday the state should delay reopening schools.

Several medical organizations including the Mississippi Chapter of the American Pediatrics Association have asked the state to delay school openings and require face masks statewide.