Baffled by lifting of state mask mandates
On a day when the Biden Administration announced that Merck will partner with Johnson & Johnson to boost production of the newly approved J & J vaccine, using the Defense Production act the way everyone thought — or at least hoped, former president Trump would — both Greg Abbot, governor of all 30 million Texas residents, and Tate Reeves have decided not only to lift their respective state mask mandates but also to allow businesses to open up to 100 percent capacity.
Governor Abbot’s move may be more understandable (but no more advisable), after the incompetence he exhibited during a week of frigid weather which led to power outages and shortages of drinkable water that lasted for days – one might rightly wonder if Abbott is putting his political future above the safety of his constituents. Same for Reeves even though the suffering from loss of power and water in our state has not been far less than what occurred in Texas.
The “wisdom” of lifting the mandate in both states is underscored the strikingly poor performance in vaccinating their populations; both states are among the bottom 15 percent of states in the percentage of their populations that have received either one or two doses and in percent of the vaccines received that have actually been used.
That it is happening as new and more infectious genetic variants of the virus spread rapidly around the country makes the decisions of these two governors even more baffling.
Paul Mack
Columbus
Editor’s note: Shifting local and state mandates have been confusing during the pandemic. While the state has lifted their mask mandates, most local governments, including Columbus, Starkville, West Point and Oktibbeha County, still have mandates in place. Lowndes County (outside of Columbus) and Clay County (outside of West Point) do not currently have mask mandates.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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