In the first week of March, Republican governors in Mississippi, Texas, Alabama and West Virginia announced a significant easing of pandemic restrictions in the country, such as mask mandates and capacity constraints within.
These states joined several others in early 2021 to reduce the restrictions on the entire coronavirus.
By 2020, some states, such as Georgia and Alaska, have chosen to never apply state mask mandates. Last September, Florida became one of the largest states to withdraw its Covid capacity restrictions when Governor Ron DeSantis reopened pubs and restaurants to full capacity.
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Alabama
On Thursday, Gov. Kay Ivey extended Alabama’s state mask mandate, which has been in effect since July 2020, but said it would expire on April 9, 2021. The Republican governor also warned against the hasty move after reopening.
“We need to get past Easter,” Ivey said, adding that Alabama would not follow other states and would immediately end restrictions without allowing more time for “more Alabamians to get their first chance.”
“People, we’re not there yet, but goodness knows we’re getting closer,” Ivey said.
Arkansas
In February, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the end of most domestic capacity constraints, but extended the nationwide mask mandate until March 31. The state’s mask mandate will end on that date if test positivity and hospitalization are below certain thresholds, Hutchinson said.
Iowa
The state’s mask mandate, first issued in November 2020, was ended in early February by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Mississippi
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced the end of Mississippi’s state sail mask mandate this week.
“Our hospitalizations and numbers have dropped, and the vaccine is spreading fast,” Reeves said. tweeted. “It’s time!”
Montana
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte announced the termination of Montana’s stately mask on Feb. 12, though several local jurisdictions have kept it in place.
Before Gianforte revoked the order criticized a Biden administration mandate to wear masks on federal ground as “as much sense as embracing a grizzly.”
The state’s mask mandate was first issued in July 2020 by Gianforte’s Democratic predecessor, former Gov. Steve Bullock.
North Dakota
The state first instituted a mask mandate in November, which was extended once before expiring in January 2021.
Texas
The Lone Star State’s mask mandate went into effect in July and ends on March 10, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced at a news conference this week.
“It’s now time to open Texas 100 percent,” Abbott said Tuesday.
Abbott said that ‘too many Texans were left out of the jobs’ while businesses were operating at limited capacity due to coronavirus restrictions.
Shortly afterwards, President Joe Biden criticized the Texas move as ‘Neanderthal thinking’.
West Virginia
Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced Friday that pubs and restaurants will be able to operate with 100 percent seating from March 6, although some restrictions remain in place on the stand-up township, according to the NBC News affiliate WVVA.
“We absolutely expect you to continue to wear your mask,” Justice said. “We are not currently doing away with our mask mandate.”
“I can not stand these masks myself, I get it and all, none of us can,” Justice said. But he warned that this does not mean that winter is over to see ‘one ruby’ fly.
“Let’s just not get too anxious to lift everything away and then get some whiplash that really hurts us,” Justice said.
