Fake news: Gov. Tate Reeves has not lifted statewide mask mandate; fake letter circulates on social media
Published 1:34 pm Sunday, September 27, 2020
A fake letter purported to be written by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has been circulating on social media.
The letter claims that the restrictions Reeves put in place through an executive order including a statewide mandate to wear masks in most public situations will be lifted in October.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said Sunday the letter was clearly a fake and advised people to pay attention to official channels for any updates on state orders regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“The letter is a FAKE,” MEMA officials wrote in a public social media post. “Stay up to date with the latest executive orders posted on the Secretary of State’s website.
The fake letter, which contained grammatical errors and was made to appear to have been put on the governor’s letterhead and with his signature, claimed that all businesses needed to remove signage telling patrons they must wear facemasks.
“All business are hereby ordered to take down all facemasks must be worn on or in they establishments,” the letter reads.
Reeves official statewide mask mandate is, in fact, set to expire on September 30, unless he chooses to extend it.
The governor’s official repository for executive orders is on the Secretary of State’s website and can be accessed here: https://www.sos.ms.gov/Education-Publications/Pages/Executive-Orders.aspx