States are increasingly reducing restrictions on coronavirus as vaccines become available and positive cases tend to fall across the country.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott is expected to make an announcement about the removal of all orders across the state “soon”, although no changes have yet been made.
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“We are now working to assess when we will be able to remove all orders across the state and will make announcements about it soon,” Abbott, who has been in a statewide masking mandate since July, told reporters. during a news conference in Corpus Christi on Thursday without giving a specific date.
People sit at a restaurant bar in Austin, Texas, June 26, 2020. (Photo by Sergio FLORES / AFP)
Abbott has issued several executive orders, in addition to the masking mandate, which restricts some commercial operations if companies are based in areas with high hospitalization rates.
Positive cases of COVID-19 increased in the state in January and have been steadily declining since then. About 7.4 million vaccines have been distributed in the state, while 3.5 million first doses and 1.7 million second doses have been administered, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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Arkansas has lifted almost all of its restrictions, and several other states have now reopened completely, including Iowa, Missouri (with exceptions across the county) and Flordia.
Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson on Friday lifted most of the security restrictions imposed on companies to stem the spread of the coronavirus and said he would end the term of the mask next month if the state test is positive or hospitalizations are low.
Hutchinson announced the reversal of safety rules by extending the public health emergency declared last year because of the coronavirus pandemic until the end of March. The governor announced the measure while facing resistance from some Republican colleagues in the legislature over state security rules against viruses.
Governor Asa Hutchinson, on the right, speaks in Little Rock, Ark. Hutchinson. (Staton Breidenthal / The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, Archives)
The limits being lifted include capacity limits for bars, restaurants, gyms and large venues. Hutchinson left open the possibility of restoring restrictions if there was another increase in cases.
Hutchinson said the mask’s mandate would be suspended in late March if the state’s positivity rate is less than 10%, with at least 7,500 specimens tested on average daily. If the state tests fewer specimens, the mandate will end if hospitalizations are less than 750 patients.
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Arkansas has recently seen a drop in new cases and hospitalizations. Arkansas on Thursday had a test positivity rate of around 10%. The state reported on Thursday 522 hospitalized patients because of COVID-19.
Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds on February 5 lifted all restrictions on coronavirus – including a mask mandate – in the state that had been in place since before Thanksgiving, according to an emergency statement.
Reynolds suspended all mandates related to masks, internal and external meetings and other business-related restrictions, while recommending that high-risk individuals and companies still take the necessary precautions to stay safe.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds did not say whether or not she plans to turn the bill into law. (Associated Press)
“I strongly encourage all companies or other employers that remain open with face-to-face operations to take reasonable measures in the circumstances of each establishment to ensure the health of employees, patrons and members of the public, including practices of social distance, increased practices of hygiene and other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 “, states the proclamation.
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Positive cases of COVID-19 in the state increased in November after Thanksgiving and have been declining ever since, according to the Iowa Department of Health. More than 680,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in Iowa.
In Missouri, Republican Governor Mike Parson lifted all restrictions in June, including a masking mandate, maintaining a state emergency order in place, allowing counties to determine the best restrictions for their respective areas.
“It’s really amazing to think how far Missouri has moved since March. At that time, nobody knew what to expect. There was a lot of uncertainty, concern and concern,” said Parson in a June 11 statement. “Here we are today, just over 90 days since our first COVID-19 case in Missouri, and I am proud to say that we have overcome all of these challenges and more than fulfilled our four pillars to reopen.”
Nurse Chrissie Burkhiser puts on personal protective equipment as she prepares to treat a COVID-19 patient in the emergency room at Scotland County Hospital in Memphis, Missouri (AP Photo / Jeff Roberson, Archives)
These four pillars included expanded test capacity and volume; expansion of reserves of personal protective equipment (PPE) through open supply chains; continuous monitoring of the hospital’s capacity; and improved ability to predict potential outbreaks.
Missouri has also seen a progressive decline in cases since November, after Thanksgiving, and has declined in cumulative fatality rates since June. The state has reported less than 1,000 cases a day in the past two weeks, Fox 2 St. Louis reported on Thursday.
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More than 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccines were administered in total, including more than 186,000 last week, according to the state health department.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis also announced in June that the state would not reinstate major shutdowns amid some of the country’s largest COVID-19 case numbers, saying that returning to the blocks would paralyze the economy without saving lives.
“We are not going to go back, close things up,” DeSantis told reporters at the time, despite recording some of the country’s largest numbers of COVID-19 cases.
A Florida resident is vaccinated at the Orange County Convention Center drive-thru location in Orlando, Monday, February 22, 2021. (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel via AP)
“I don’t think that’s what is really driving it,” said the governor of companies that remain open. “The people who go to a company is not what is driving it. I think when you see the younger ones, I think a lot of that is more just social interactions, so this is natural. Obviously, you had a lot of different activities going on in different parts of the state. … So that’s the reality. “
DeSantis added that the apocalyptic predictions about Florida’s coronavirus numbers were wrong and urged young residents to “protect the vulnerable,” distancing themselves socially and avoiding the elderly – stopping before other governors, who suggested that residents should generally stay at home.
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“We are open, we know who we need to protect, the majority of people in these younger demographic groups, although we want them to be aware of what is happening, are simply much less at risk than people who are in those groups. Older age groups”, added DeSantis.
A comparison of similar COVID-19 trends in Florida and California with some of the largest numbers of cases in the country, despite one state being practically closed and the other completely open. Florida’s population is just over half that of California, but the two states have reported similar case and death rates for their respective populations.
DeSantis’ popularity among the Republican Party increased as a result of his decision not to close Flordia, and the state saw an influx of new residents and even tourists amid the pandemic.
Ron Desantis (Getty Images)
“Our kids are in school. Parents are happy about it. Our economy is growing. People are working. And they predicted an economic downturn, especially for Florida, because we are a tourist base and our tourism is not bad at all.” , DeSantis told “Fox & Friends” on Friday, adding that the State of the Sun is “earning big revenue without raising taxes”.
Other states are starting to make mask orders and restrictions on business, events and so on even easier.
Fifteen states, including Florida, Iowa and Missouri, have suspended or never implemented masking mandates across the state, leaving counties to implement the rules, with Montana the last state to do so.
Montana also lifted most business restrictions, such as limitations on internal meetings, in January, under the leadership of its new Republican governor, Greg Gianforte.
Other states that have never implemented or suspended masking mandates include Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee. Arizona requires masks only in certain environments.
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Thirty-five states have eased at least some restrictions – such as restrictions on personal learning and indoor dining – since last year.
States that have reversed some restrictions since 2020 include Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming.
The Associated Press and Fox News’s Brie Stimson and Gregg Re contributed to this report.