Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Texas and Mississippi "open up"

As Texas and Mississippi move to open ‘100%’ and lift mask mandates, health officials warn: ‘It’s still too early’ | Washington Post - Katie Shepherd:

March 3, 2021 - "On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ended his state’s mask mandate and boasted in all-caps on Twitter that “Texas is OPEN 100%. EVERYTHING.” But public health experts and local officials in Texas and in Mississippi, where Gov. Tate Reeves (R) announced similar plans Tuesday, had a ... message for residents: Wear masks anyway and keep practicing social distancing.

"'If you’re interested in knowing what you can get away with, listen to the governor,' Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a Democrat who has advocated for tougher restrictions as the county’s chief elected official, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. 'If you’re interested in knowing what doctors say will keep you, your business and your family safe, listen to me'.... 

"The moves to reopen Texas and Mississippi are the latest flash points between politicians, particularly in the GOP, pushing for a return to normal and experts who say the pandemic is not yet over. Some other states, including Iowa and Montana, lifted mask mandates last month....

"Abbott on Tuesday issued an executive order allowing Texas businesses to operate at full capacity and revoking a statewide mask mandate. The order also curtailed local officials’ ability to impose tougher restrictions in their communities, by barring countywide mask mandates and removing jail time and other penalties for those who do not follow local coronavirus rules. Existing restrictions will be lifted March 10, according to the order. 

"In a similar move, Reeves announced Tuesday that businesses in his state would be allowed to fully reopen Wednesday and that masks would no longer be required by the state. 'If businesses or individuals decide to take additional precautions, they are absolutely within their rights,' Reeves said at a news conference Tuesday. 'In fact, it may be smart. But we are not going to continue to use the heavy hand of government when it is no longer justified by the reality we see around us'....

"Mississippi’s state health officer, Thomas Dobbs, who also spoke at the governor’s news conference, urged people to continue taking precautions and to avoid crowding into indoor spaces — even if they are now legally allowed to do so. 'Do stuff outdoors, don’t group together indoors with a lot of folks,' Dobbs said. 'There’s no way in heck I would go sit in a crowded bar right now, indoors or out really. Please exercise caution.' The Mississippi Health Department also encouraged older residents and people with preexisting conditions to continue to isolate within their household.... 

"The Republican governors’ decisions to lift coronavirus restrictions was warmly embraced by many conservatives.... But Democrats were quick to bash the decisions, suggesting that lives will be threatened. 'Governor Abbott’s failure to listen to science and medical advice will cost Texans their lives,' Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.) said in a statement Tuesday.... Mississippi state Rep. Jeramey Anderson (D) denounced the decision to lift his state’s mask mandate, which he called 'the main factor contributing to reduced COVID cases as more variants are discovered and many people have yet to be fully vaccinated'....

"Some Texans also disputed whether the repeal would help businesses, arguing that it now puts the onus on the owners to enforce mask requirements, leaving them forced to face off with maskless customers. Several major companies in Texas, including Macy’s and Target, said they would continue requiring masks in their businesses despite Abbott’s order.

“It puts a lot of businesses in a tough spot, I think,” San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich told KSAT. “Basically you’re saying, ‘If you get infected, you die, that’s the way it goes.... This is really ridiculous.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/03/texas-mississippi-mask-mandate-backlash/

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