CV NEWS FEED // Some governors and other state officials are rejecting the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vowing not to comply with further recommendations for masking and other COVID-19 protocols.
“Arizona does not allow mask mandates, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports or discrimination in schools based on who is or isn’t vaccinated,” wrote Gov. Doug Ducey, R-AZ, in a statement. “The CDC today is recommending that we wear masks in school and indoors, regardless of our vaccination status. This is just another example of the Biden-Harris administration’s inability to effectively confront the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Gov. Pete Ricketts, R-NE, similarly rejected the CDC’s new guidance. “The State of Nebraska will not be adopting their mask guidance,” he wrote. “Furthermore, I will reiterate my expectations for schools and universities in the fall. Schools should convene in person without mask or vaccine requirements.”
“The Biden Administration’s new COVID-19 guidance telling fully vaccinated Iowans to now wear masks is not only counterproductive to our vaccination efforts, but also not grounded in reality or common sense,” wrote Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-IA. “I’m concerned that this guidance will be used as a vehicle to mandate masks in states and schools across the country, something I do not support.”
“I am proud that we recently put new laws in place that will protect Iowans against unnecessary government mandates in our schools and local governments,” Reynolds concluded. “As I have throughout this pandemic, I trust Iowans to do the right thing.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, R-TX, also rejected the new CDC guidelines. “Gov. Abbott has been clear that the time for government mandating of masks is over — now is the time for personal responsibility,” said a statement from his office. “Every Texan has the right to choose whether they will wear a mask, or have their children wear masks.”
“The CDC shifts their position AGAIN,” tweeted Gov. Kristi Noem in response to the CDC’s latest prescriptions, adding “we won’t be mandating anything. And the CDC’s inconsistency doesn’t help the American people.”
“Georgia will not lock down or impose statewide mask mandates,” tweeted Gov. Brian Kemp, R-GA, following the release of the CDC’s new suggestions. “As the first state in the country to reopen over a year ago, we’ve proven that Georgians know how to come together and protect themselves and their loved ones,” he added.
The revolt against the latest recommendations from the CDC, which has been widely criticized for its inconsistency and plagued by a number of scandals involving backgroom collaborations with interest groups like teachers unions, is not limited to Republican governors.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan chose to buck the CDC this week as well. “Some of you might be wondering what’s with the masks right? We thought that we didn’t have to wear masks anymore,” she said at a press conference Tuesday, according to The Detroit News. “I do not anticipate another pandemic order, not in the near future and maybe not ever.”
