Mississippi to trace contacts of virus-positive cases

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi health officials say they will try to find people who have been near those testing positive for the coronavirus.

Gov. Tate Reeves and the state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, announced the effort Thursday.

They say the goal is to get people to self-quarantine if they’ve been exposed.

Mississippi is seeing a sharp increase in claims for temporary unemployment benefits as people seek help amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The state Health Department said Thursday that Mississippi has more than 480 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Testing remains limited, so most people now spreading the virus may not know they’ve been infected.

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