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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