As we are all trying to get the vaccine any which way we can, we are all as well trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. President Joe Biden said today, Tuesday March 2nd that there will be enough vaccines for every American adult by the end of May, where before had said July. Why the change? Biden also announced a rare partnership between pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co. in order to increase production of the J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine. We are seeing the light!
Two states have just decided they are already at the end of the tunnel, skipping the vaccination process that we are all doing. They will probably keep going on making up their own rules about vaccination, I know, but it’s foolish for these states to discard proven positive practices to stop the spread of COVID. Cuz sienz, I mean science.
Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi both announced today, Tuesday, just before Biden could say, “Let’s stay vigilant,” they stated they are lifting COVID-19 restrictions, including mask mandates.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he’s moving to “open Texas 100%” and issued a new executive order to take effect March 10 removing most of the best practices he had put into motion.
So no business needs to tell people to wear a mask, and part 2 states there are on occupancy limits.
Luckily business can still have a mask rule and do what they please within their walls.
But why. Why is this all happening now. There are so many analogies that we could write about this stupidity, but hey history does repeat itself, no? Governor Abbot basically did this last October and saw the cases rise. What is different now? I’m not sure about your state, but most states in the nation have only vaccinated people over 65 and front line workers and most are not even done that phase yet. But Abbott stated, “Texas is in a far better position now than when I issued my last executive order back in October.” Not sure what he is talking about here.
Abbott is relying on the intelligence of his constituents to keep the COVID rates down as he removes most of the restrictions as he believes his state’s residents have learned how to live with and avoid COVID and would rather people regulate their activities than having the state try to mandate the appropriate behavior.
And lil Ole Miss, Mississippi decided to follow big brother bible belt Texas and throw masks and caution to the wind. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted just 2 hours ago on Tuesday March 2nd that, starting Wednesday, tomorrow, all county mask mandates will be lifted and businesses will be allowed to operate at full capacity. Guess they had to beat Texas to the COVID punch.
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!
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) March 2, 2021
“Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time!”
We all know elected officials are not elected because of their intelligence. It’s unfortunate that the popular vote is left to the less educated individuals in society and they appoint someone with the best smile, the charm, and that they may like the same sportsball team.
It’s science people. It’s the future of your cities, states, and our nation. The fact that a few are messing this up for us all, is why ‘Merika will not get out of this COVID hole any time soon. The end of May cannot get here soon enough. With deaths in the US at a seven-day average of 2,407 a day, we have 90 days until the end of May, which would be 216,630 deaths if the numbers do not drop. If they drop in half, that would still be 108,315 more Americans dead from this.
Sources: usatoday.com , cdc.gov
This post may contain this writer’s opinions and may not align with the opinions of other writers or the magazine.