JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Many workers have been forced to work from home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Others like the Mississippi Forestry Commission have not been affected by the virus.
State Forester Russell Bozeman said the pandemic has not affected wildfire numbers in Mississippi, meaning that wildland firefighters are just as busy now as they’ve ever been.
Communications Director Jason Scott said when they are not actually fighting fires, their practices are not too different from the standard ones.
“For the most part, we are maintaining social distancing guidelines. Any of our employees who are sick or have come in contact with somebody that’s suspected of having COVID, we’ve asked them to self quarantine, just to make sure that we keep that safety of our people and of the landowners,” he explained.
Scott said in addition to fighting fires, they have continued to help with forest management plans and helping with forest health surveys.
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