President Biden on Wednesday criticized leaders in Texas and Mississippi for ending their state masquerade mandates before all Americans have access to a vaccine. Biden said it was “Neanderthal thinking” to believe that “in the meantime, it’s okay, take off your masks”.
Republican governors in Texas and Mississippi announced the lifting of its masking mandates this week, before states finished vaccinating elderly and vulnerable populations. The Centers for Disease Control and federal health officials said that now is not the time to stop being vigilant, especially due to the increase in variants.
“I think it’s a big mistake,” the president told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “Look, I hope everyone has realized that these masks make a difference. We are about to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way how we can put vaccines in people’s arms. We managed to move that by the end of May to have enough for all Americans, to get all adult Americans to be shot. The last thing, the last thing we need is the Neanderthal thinking that, in the meantime, it’s okay, take off your masks, forget it. It still matters. ”
These comments come after the president’s announcement that the US will have enough vaccine supply to cover all Americans by the end of May. It will take longer than that to put the shots on the guns.
The president has constantly reminded Americans to wear masks and made a point of wearing one, even after receiving both doses of the vaccine. He urged all Americans to wear masks for their first 100 days in office – although health officials believe that Americans will need to wear masks longer.
As elsewhere, companies in Texas and Mississippi may still require customers to wear masks, and under Biden’s authority, everyone on federal properties in those states will continue to need masks.