Mississippi has become the first state in the country to lift its mask mandate.
Governor Tate Reeves spoke on the nixing of the pandemic-era mandate during a presser earlier this week, per regional outlet WLOX. In a statement, Reeves stated he will still wear a mask and he expects "most people" will also still do so often. Reeves, however, does not believe the state will further benefit from mandating their usage.
"There is a difference between something being wise, and something being a government mandate," Reeves said. "We have to reserve that for the most critical, dangerous moments." Reeves added that it is his belief that guidelines "are better than mandates." Masks are still required in schools and inside certain businesses.
Notably, Donald J. Trump—the failed steak salesman and current purported POTUS who has more than a few supporters in Mississippi—claimed on Thursday night to have tested positive for coronavirus along with Melania Trump. Due to his months-long preference for downplaying the virus while hundreds of thousands of people died from it around the nation, many have expressed cautious skepticism at Trump's announcement.
Reeves, meanwhile, used his statement on Trump's reported diagnosis to allege that the higher power he happens to favor is somehow capable of healing the virus.
And while Reeves may not want to believe that a mask mandate remains necessary, Rep. Jeramey Anderson is keeping the severity of the pandemic in mind by recently introducing a bill that would require all voters to mask up in and around polling places:
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