The government of West Virginia, Jim Justice (R), in an interview with CNN on Thursday expressed reservations about co-governors of GOP in Texas and Mississippi eliminating mask mandates and said the state will maintain its own restrictions for the time being.
“I’m not going to let it become a political football,” Justice told CNN’s John King. “In West Virginia, we want to be careful, we want to be safe, we have to respect everyone’s rights and everything, and we’ve done the right thing throughout this thing.”
Throughout the pandemic, Justice said: “We have always listened to the experts and we have always let them lead … we were bold, but we were careful.”
“If we continue to vaccinate more and more and more, we will get rid of the mask. But I do not really know what the great rush is to get rid of the mask, because these masks live very, very much,” he added. Justice added that he and his medical advisers should not yet discuss eliminating the mask mandate. “If we are not careful, we could make some mistakes.”
“If we vaccinate more and more and more, we will get rid of the mask. But I do not really know what the great rush is to get rid of the mask, because these masks live very, very much,” Judge Jim said. West, West Virginia, while states begin lifting mask mandates pic.twitter.com/WJoVRRLaDs
– CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) March 4, 2021
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves both announced this week that they would lift all mandates and restrictions on the state’s business capacity. However, major retailers such as Target, CVS Health and Aldi have said they will assert their own mask needs, even in the states that undo the mandates.