Lafayette County has seen a slow rise in new COVID-19 cases since the weekend.

The Mississippi State Department of Health has reported seven new cases in Lafayette County since Saturday, with three new cases reported on Tuesday. The County’s total is now 96 total cases since March 19. According to the City of Oxford’s data, which was last updated on April 30, there were 15 active cases, which would be around 22 as of Tuesday if the new cases are included.

Lafayette County has not reported any new deaths, standing still at three, but they reported a new long-term care facility case to increase the County’s total to 36 LTC cases. All confirmed LTC cases have come from clients at the North Mississippi Regional Center’s Oxford campus.

During the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, emergency management director Steve Quarles reported three staff members at Oxford Health and Rehab have tested positive for COVID-19, increasing from the one staff member Quarles reported last week.

“They have no positive cases among the residents (at Oxford Health and Rehab),” Quarles told the Board. “We’ve tested numerous other employees and residents and all have come back negative.”

Mississippi is continuing to see an up-and-down pattern in daily reported cases. The state reported its highest daily total on May 1, with 397 new cases. Since then, the number has fluctuated, with 109 new cases reported on Monday and 330 new cases reported on Tuesday. The state’s current total number of cases sits at 8,207 cases since March 11.

There were 32 new deaths reported on Tuesday, raising Mississippi’s total to 342.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 4,421 cases are estimated to have recovered as of May 3. There have been 80,308 people tested in Mississippi as of May 4, according to MSDH.

Governor Tate Reeves announced on Monday  outdoor gatherings of no more than 20 people would be allowed, and restaurants could reopen their dining rooms to no more than 50 percent occupancy with proper social distancing practices. This begins Thursday and runs through the state’s current executive order, which expires at 8 a.m. on May 11. The Oxford Board of Aldermen is discussing Reeves’ latest executive order and how it may affect the City’s current resolution during Tuesday’s regular meeting.