There is a new emerging movement of states starting to ease-up on covid related restrictions. Some governors claim the time is right to end mask-wearing mandates and permit businesses to operate at full capacity.
ABC News reported that California expects “Next month, nearly the entire state could see a return of inside restaurant dining, the reopening of movie theaters and other indoor businesses, far more children back in classrooms and competing in sports — maybe even fans in the stands for Opening Day of Major League Baseball,” and “Disneyland Resort in Southern California will be allowed to reopen with capacity limits starting April 1.”
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont Lamont said in a press release that “Beginning Friday, March 19, 2021 all capacity limits will be eliminated for Restaurants, Retail, Libraries, Personal services, Indoor recreation, Gyms/fitness centers, Museums, aquariums, and zoos, Offices, Houses of worship”
Lamont added that “All sports will be allowed to practice and compete, and all sports tournaments will be allowed.” He also stated “Beginning Friday, April 2, 2021 outdoor amusement parks can open, outdoor event venues can increase to a 50% capacity, capped at 10,000 people, indoor stadiums can open at 10% capacity, summer camps and summer festivals are advised to begin the planning stages to open for the upcoming season.”
Greg Abbot, the Governor of Texas, announced last Tuesday that he will end the statewide mask mandate and permit all businesses to operate at full capacity. He said “It is now time to open Texas 100%.” Abbott added that he is rescinding “most of the earlier executive orders” he had previously issued and commencing March 10, “all businesses of any type are allowed to open 100%,” including sporting events, concerts and similar activities.
NEW: Issuing an executive order to lift the mask mandate and open Texas to 100 percent. pic.twitter.com/P4UywmWeuN
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) March 2, 2021
At a news briefing, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced he is rescinding all county mask mandates and removing statewide restrictions on nearly all businesses. Reeves said “I am replacing our current orders with recommendations,” and “The only rules that will remain in this order are a capacity limit of 50% on indoor arenas and those that govern K-12 schools.”
Reeves Tweeted “Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules. Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time!”
This isn’t the first time states pushed back on covid-19 related restrictions. Five states including Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Montana and North Dakota plan to or have already ended mask requirements. Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee never mandated masks statewide. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said wearing masks will be “a matter of personal responsibility and not a government mandate,” starting in April.
In Idaho, a video of parents encouraging their children to burn their masks went viral on Twitter with over five million views.
These actions are taking place as public health experts encourage Americans to continue social distancing and wearing masks. They maintain that the U.S. is at a critical inflection point. NPR reports “Since vaccine distribution began in the U.S. on Dec. 14, more than 85 million doses have been administered, reaching 16.7% of the total U.S. population, according to federal data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. is currently administering over 2 million shots a day.” The medical community maintains that the race to reopen too quickly could do damage to all the hard work up until now.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, concerned over this newly emerging trend to de-mask and reopen businesses, said these moves are “ill-advised” on CNN. Dr Fauci contends that restrictions shouldn’t be lifted until new coronavirus cases fall below 10,000 a day “and maybe even considerably less than that” across the country.
He’d like to see “a substantial proportion of the population vaccinated,” before aggressively reopening. Dr. Fauci added that once the country reopens, it should be done in a slow, methodical gradual manner and not all at once saying “You don’t want to go from very stringent public health restrictions to just turning it off, and say, ‘That’s it.’”
In an interview with NPR radio, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the new head of the CDC, said in response to a question about states abandoning mask-wearing requirements “the CDC squarely recommends routine masking, routine social distancing right now, right as we’re at this nexus, this critical time, this tenuous point. So it squarely does not fit within the guidance that we are recommending. I will say, though, that the reason that I mask is not because my governor tells me so. The reason I mask is because I know it protects myself, it protects my loved ones, it protects my neighbors and my community. So I think everybody is empowered to do the right thing and to put the mask on.”
According to CBS News “There are new calls for governors to hold off on lifting coronavirus restrictions after Arizona joined Texas, Mississippi and Connecticut in announcing plans to cut or relax COVID-19 safety guidelines. Members of President Biden’s coronavirus task force say new variants of the virus, combined with reduced regulations, could lead to another spike in cases.”
In response to the news of the actions of the states, President Joe Biden called their decisions to disregard mask wearing and opening-up businesses “Neanderthal thinking.” Biden told reporters at the White House “It’s critical, critical, critical that they follow the science,” he continued “I know you all know that. I wish to heck some of our elected officials knew it.” Biden added The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking in the meantime: ‘Everything’s fine, take off your masks.'” He said “I think it’s a big mistake,” and “Look, I hope everyone’s realized by now, these masks make a difference. We are on the cusp of being able to change the nature of this disease because of the way we’re able to get vaccines in people’s arms.”
There may never be a perfect time to stop wearing masks and open up the economy and schools. Politicians are in a difficult position. If they don’t reopen, more businesses will likely fail and workers lose their jobs. If lawmakers call for reopening and Americans contract the disease and succumb to it, they’ll be discredited and labeled for life.
It may seem cold and harsh, but the states that are opening may be doing the country a favor. They will serve as the test case. Most Americans are proponents of wearing masks, social distancing and being cautious to ensure that people don’t catch or spread the disease. This doesn’t conflict with the reality that after one year in lockdown, some states would take these potentially risky steps as we’re nearing the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
Major corporations consider it a smart business practice to not roll out a new product all at once. Companies need to test market it first, gather initial reactions, feedback and constructive criticisms. Then, armed with this information, they can make any necessary improvements.
The states that still keep strict restrictions can see how things progress at the ones who are reopening. If there is a large spike of new cases and increases in the death rate, then we know it’s too soon. The governors should then reverse or revise their plans.
There is a positive aspect buried beneath the concerns. Vaccines are being rolled out. People are being inoculated. There will soon be a collective feeling, in the not too distant future, that we’ve beaten back the disease and can start living again.
There should be a big, pent-up demand for workers, as businesses reopen. We’ve already seen this happen in the most recent jobs report. Nearly 400,000 jobs were added last month as more restaurants, bars, retail stores and other businesses loosened restrictions. This is good news for job seekers and people who want to advance their careers as there’s now light shining at the end of the tunnel.
