Amid calls from President Biden to reinstate mask mandates as COVID-19 cases rise in some states, Governor Tate Reeves quickly shot down the idea of such an action in Mississippi.
“I’m reiterating my call for every governor, mayor, and local leader to maintain and reinstate the mask mandate. Please. This is not politics. Reinstate the mandate if you let it down,” President Biden said on a call Monday, according to media reports.
Earlier this month, Mississippi and Texas became the first states to rescind state-issued mask mandates and other COVID-19-related restrictions. Governor Reeves, who also pushed back on Biden’s “neanderthal thinking” comment in the wake of lifting restrictions, took to Twitter to respond to the president’s request, ending his post with “No thank you, Mr. President.”
Let me get this straight – POTUS Biden wants Mississippi to reverse course and reinstate a mask mandate because cases are going up in New York and New Jersey.
No thank you, Mr. President.
— Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) March 30, 2021
Many local cities and counties in Mississippi have their own mandates that remain in place.
In Mississippi, cases numbers have remained relatively low compared to the post-holiday surge. Mississippi’s 7-day rolling average is down to 217 and overall hospitalizations have declined from a peak of 1,444 to 212.
Data shows that cases are rising nationally and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky recently urged the American public to continue taking the proper preventive measures.
“I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom, she said. “We do not have the luxury of inaction. For the health of our country, we must work together now to prevent a fourth surge.”
During Monday’s call, President Biden stated that wearing a mask is the public’s “patriotic duty.”
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