In the first week of March, Republican governors in Mississippi, Texas, Alabama and West Virginia announced a significant easing of pandemic restrictions across the state, such as mask mandates and domestic capacity limits.
These states joined several others in easing state restrictions on coronavirus in early 2021.
In 2020, some states, such as Georgia and Alaska, chose to never implement masking mandates across the state. Last September, Florida became one of the largest states to reverse Covid’s capacity restrictions when Governor Ron DeSantis reopened bars and restaurants at full capacity.
NBC News is following these developments. Check back again for updates.
Alabama
On Thursday, Governor Kay Ivey extended the mask’s mandate across the state of Alabama, in effect since July 2020, but said it would expire on April 9, 2021. The Republican governor also warned against hasty reopening moves.
“We need to get past Easter,” said Ivey, adding that Alabama would not follow other states and would immediately end restrictions without giving more time for “more Alabamians to give their first chance.”
“Guys, we’re not there yet, but God knows we’re getting close,” said Ivey.
Arkansas
In February, Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the end of most domestic capacity restrictions, but extended the mask’s mandate across the state to March 31. The state mask’s term of office will end on that date if the test’s positivity and hospitalization rates are below certain limits, said Hutchinson.
Iowa
The state mask’s mandate, first issued in November 2020, ended in early February by Republican Governor Kim Reynolds.
Mississippi
Republican Governor Tate Reeves announced the end of the term for the Mississippi state mask this week.
“Our hospitalizations and the number of cases have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed,” Reeves tweeted. “It’s time!”
Montana
Republican Governor Greg Gianforte announced the end of the Montana state mask term on February 12, although several local jurisdictions maintain them in place.
Before rescinding the order, Gianforte criticized a Biden government mandate to wear masks on federal land makes “as much sense as hugging a grizzly bear”.
The state mask’s mandate was first enacted in July 2020 by Gianforte’s Democratic predecessor, former governor Steve Bullock.
North Dakota
The state first enacted a masking mandate in November, which was extended once before expiring in January 2021.
Texas
The Lone Star State mask’s term of office took effect in July and will end on March 10, Republican Governor Greg Abbott announced at a news conference this week.
“Now it’s time to open Texas 100 percent,” said Abbott on Tuesday.
Abbott said that “many Texans have been excluded from job opportunities”, while companies operate with reduced capacity due to coronavirus restrictions.
Shortly after, President Joe Biden criticized Texas’s attitude as “Neanderthal thinking”.
West Virginia
Republican Governor Jim Justice announced on Friday that bars and restaurants will be able to operate with 100 percent seating capacity from March 6, although some restrictions on the standing congregation remain in effect, according to the NBC News affiliate. WVVA.
“We absolutely hope that you will continue to wear your mask,” said Justice. “We are not withdrawing from our masking mandate at this time.”
“I can’t stand these masks, I understand that and everything, none of us can,” said Justice. But he warned that seeing “a thrush” flying does not mean that winter is over.
“We are not going to be too eager to take everything off and then get some kind of lash that really hurts us,” said Justice.
