CNN host Jake Tapper grilled Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves on Sunday over his decision to lift mask mandates and COVID-19-related restrictions on businesses in his state.
“The governor’s office has no longer made it its business to tell people what they can and cannot do,” the Republican governor announced on March 2nd.
Tapper began his interview this weekend by telling Reeves that because of his decision, health experts warned that “people get sick and die”. But Reeves insisted that he just “followed the data”.
“We know that more people are likely to get sick and die without a mask mandate, and that’s what science says,” said Tapper. “Why is that a compromise you are willing to make?”
But Reeves insisted that his condition was in good shape. He also knocked out President Joe Biden, who last week accused Reeves and Texas Governor Greg Abbott of “Neanderthal thinking” for their decisions to end masked mandates and other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Let’s talk a little more about the data,” Reeves told Tapper. “The fact of the matter is, at our peak, we had 1,450 Mississippians in hospital beds because of the virus. Today that number is below 400. At our peak, we had 360 Mississippians in intensive care beds. At this point that number is below 120. The fact is that we have seen significantly reduced values. By the way, unlike President Biden, who wants to insult Americans and Mississippians, I actually trust Mississippians to make good decisions. “
Tapper then asked Reeves if he thought it would be a good idea for residents of his state to continue wearing masks, to which Reeves replied that he did.
“If you haven’t received the vaccination and are walking into a large crowd or going out to dinner, I strongly recommend that Mississippians and people across the country wear a mask because I believe they do. Reduce people’s ability to spread the virus. No question, ”said Reeves.
“Only about 9% of Mississippi residents were fully vaccinated – 9%,” noted Tapper. “The governor of neighboring Alabama, Republican Kay Ivey, is extending her mask mandate for another month. Why not do the same so you can get more of your ingredients vaccinated before loosening up your procedures? We all want to get back to normal. The fear is if you do this it will take longer to get back to normal. “
“Well, I should say first that I love and appreciate Governor Ivey of Alabama,” Reeves replied. “She’s a great friend of mine and has been for many, many years. But if you look at the numbers in Mississippi, it doesn’t warrant government intervention. It just does not work. It does not justify nationwide mask mandates. You were right to point out earlier that our state has had statewide mask mandates in place for the past six months, and we will not come back to that. “
Watch the video below:
Related Topics: “It’s Time”: Mississippi Works With Texas To Lift All COVID Restrictions Despite Terrible Job Control Viruses
GOP Governor Faceplants on CNN: Ending Mask Mandates Is ‘Follow the Data’ first appeared in The New Civil Rights Movement.
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