If you are caught having COVID and don't isolate, residents could face up to 5 years in prison.

According to News 10, anyone who contracts COVID in the state of Mississippi and doesn't follow their isolation guidelines of isolating at home for 10 days or more could be sentenced to jail and a fine up to $5,000 if found guilty.

The controversial order was announced by the Mississippi State Department of Health back on Friday. The order was announced in response to the rise in COVID cases being reported in the state.

The order states that anyone that lives in Mississippi must isolate for 10 days once they are first notified of infection. This also includes any fully vaccinated person that becomes infected with COVID-19 and requires them to "remain in their home or other appropriate residential location for 10 days from onset of illness (or 10 days from the date of a positive test for those who are asymptomatic)."

The order also said that failure or refusal to obey the order

"is, at a minimum, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500.00 or imprisonment for six months or both."

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi is one of the least vaccinated states in the country, with only about 38% of the eligible population choosing to get fully vaccinated and because the coronavirus can be life-threatening, anyone who doesn't comply with the order could face a $5,000 fine along with prison time.

The order went into effect on Friday, August 20th and will remain in effect until further notice.

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