[News] Texas, Mississippi to end mask mandates and allow businesses to reopen at full capacity

The governors of Texas and Mississippi have announced they would be lifting their states’ mask mandates and rolling back many of their Covid-19 health mandates.

“It is now time to open Texas 100 percent,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Tuesday afternoon, March 2, at Montelongo’s Mexican Restaurant in Lubbock.

“Covid has not suddenly disappeared,” he said, “but state mandates are no longer needed.”

Shortly after Abbott’s announcement, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi announced that he would end the state’s statewide mask mandate, effective Wednesday of this week.

“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!,” Reeves tweeted.

This comes after CDC Director Rochelle Walensky strongly cautioned against the rollbacks over emerging coronavirus variants.

“I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from Covid-19,” Walensky said at the daily White House Covid-19 briefing.

“Please hear me clearly,” Walensky said. “At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard earned ground we have gained.”