13-Year-Old Girl Dies Of COVID-19 After Mississippi Governor Refuses to Implement Mask Mandate

Several hours after testing positive for COVID-19, a young girl in Mississippi has died from the dreaded virus after attending school for most of the week.

According to the Mississippi Free Press, an eighth-grade girl, 13-year-old Mkayla Robinson died over the weekend on Saturday morning, Aug. 14, in Raleigh, Miss. She tested positive for the coronavirus several hours before dying.

The Facebook page of the Raleigh High School Lion Pride Band announced the sad news about student, who played the flute.

“It is with great sadness, and a broken heart, that I announce the passing of one of my 8th-grade band students. She was the perfect student. Every teacher loved her and wanted 30 more just like her. Please pray for Raleigh Junior High, the band, and especially the family as they deal with this.”

Robinson’s death happened a day after Governor Tate Reeves stated at a press conference on Friday that he would not mandate masks in schools this fall.

“I don’t have any intention of issuing a statewide mask mandate for any category of Mississippians at this time. I don’t know how I can say that differently other than the way I’ve said it repeatedly for a number of days and weeks and months,” Tate stated at the press conference last week.

“If you look at those individuals under the age of 12, what you find is that it is very rare that kids under the age of 12 have anything other than the sniffles,” the governor said. “Does it happen from time to time? Sure it does. I believe we have had one fatality of an individual, maybe it could’ve been two — I think there’s three under the age of 18 at this time? Two?”

According to the Clarion Ledger, Smith County, which has a population of around 16,000, has recorded 2,012 COVID-19 cases and 96 deaths related to the coronavirus. The Smith County School District reported that since the start of the school year on Aug. 6, there have been 78 students who have tested positive for the coronavirus. There has been a total of 479 students across four schools who are in quarantine. Eleven of the district’s teachers and assistants have the virus and 23 are quarantined.

Dr. Strick Strickland, a friend of Mkayla’s family and a pastor, says the teen’s death has rocked the family and the community.

“Just this tragedy set all of us back. It’s something that we all feel,” Strickland said. “It’s a fear that all of us wake up to and have to face the reality of when we walk our children to the bus stop in the morning.”

According to KVOA, Mkayla developed a sore throat and stayed home from school Thursday and Friday.

She was diagnosed with the virus Friday and on Saturday, she died.

“That was sad that happened to that child,” Erica Epting, a Raleigh High School parent said.