President Joe Biden criticised the governors of Texas and Mississippi after they moved to end mask mandates and other coronavirus restrictions in their states.
Several states have loosened or rescinded curbs on businesses and social activity in recent days, encouraged by the decline in Covid-19 hospitalisations and the increasing number of people vaccinated against the virus. Texas and Mississippi on Tuesday announced they would no longer mandate mask-wearing and end capacity limits on businesses, drawing criticism from some lawmakers who said the rollbacks went too far.
“I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden, a Democrat, said on Wednesday when asked about the decisions. He added: “Look, I hope everybody’s realised by now, we’ve managed to make a difference. We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way in which we were able to get vaccines in people’s arms.
“The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime everything is fine, take off your masks, forget it. It still matters.”
Tate Reeves, Mississippi’s governor, fired back in a tweet. “Mississippians don’t need handlers. As numbers drop, they can assess their choices and listen to experts. I guess I just think we should trust Americans, not insult them,” he said.
Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, called for his state to be “100 per cent” open, saying it can continue to contain the spread of coronavirus as more residents, particularly seniors, get vaccinated. Reeves, also a Republican, on Tuesday said “the risk of overwhelming our hospitals with severe Covid cases is coming to a close”.
The two states maintained recommendations that residents wear face coverings when social distancing was not possible.
In Texas, businesses may limit capacity or require additional safety measures on their own, the governor’s office said.