Finally, some welcomed news when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Both Texas and Mississippi have opened their states at 100%, calling an end to the mask mandate. In Texas, this change will take effect next Wednesday, March 10. It appears Mississippi will still enforce restrictions in K-12 schools.
Will this trend catch on in other states? If so, which governor will be next to announce a full reopening?
So far, there are 38 states that currently have a form of a mask mandate in place, according to The New York Times. Only Virginia is enforcing stay-at-home orders. The majority of states are “mostly open.” No states on the map are labeled as “100% open,” making Texas and Mississippi the among the first to do so.
South Dakota has not enforced a mask mandate since the dawn of the pandemic, thanks to Governor Kristi Noem who argues that her approach was best for South Dakotans. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis took a similar anti-lockdown approach, referring to his state as the “oasis of freedom” during his speech at CPAC 2021 conference in Orlando.
Now that Texas and Mississippi will be rolling full speed ahead by next week, Americans in other states now look to their own state and local leadership for reopening guidance. Some of us can only hope that our country can breathe (unmasked) again.
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/13/republican-governors-reject-biden-mask-orders-436385
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/26/florida-got-it-right-and-lockdown-states-got-it-wr/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-map-coronavirus.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mississippi-governor-lifts-state-mask-mandate/ar-BB1eaxsa
