President Biden on Wednesday criticized leaders in Texas and Mississippi for ending their nationwide mask mandates before all Americans have access to a vaccine. Mr Biden said it was “Neanderthal thinking” to believe that “in the meantime, everything is fine, take off your masks”.
Republican governors in Texas and Mississippi lifted their mask mandates this week before the states finished vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable populations. The Centers for Disease Control and federal health officials said it was not the time to stop being vigilant, especially because of the increase in variants.
“I think this is a big mistake,” the president told reporters in the White House on Wednesday. ‘Look, I hope everyone has already realized that these masks make a difference. We are about to fundamentally change the nature of this. disease because of the way we are able to get vaccines into people’s arms. We could move it until the end of May to have enough for every American, to give every mature American a shot. The last thing, the last thing we need is the Neanderthal who thinks everything is fine in the meantime, take off your masks, forget it. It still matters. ‘
This comment comes 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 getting those shots in the arms.
The president constantly reminded Americans to wear masks and pointed out that he wears one himself, even after receiving both doses of the vaccine. He urged all Americans to wear a mask for his first hundred days in office – although health officials believe Americans will have to wear longer.
As elsewhere, businesses in Texas and Mississippi may still require customers to wear masks, and under the authority of Mr. Biden will still have to wear a mask on federal property in those states.