Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves pushed back on Jake Tapper after the CNN host questioned the governor’s decision to end his state’s mask mandate, saying he trusts residents of the state to make smart decisions without the need for mandates.
“We know more people are likely to get sick and die without mask mandates. That is what the science says,” Tapper said. “Why is this a trade-off you’re willing to make given the fact that we have really been here before?”
“Unlike President Biden, who wants to insult Americans and insult Mississippians, I actually trust Mississippians to make good decisions,” Reeves responded. “They have proven throughout the last year that they can do so. And that is something that I think is very important. The fact is the numbers don’t justify government interaction at the levels that we are seeing in other states.”
Gov. @TateReeves pushes back on @JakeTapper‘s assertion that his COVID-19 policies are putting Mississippians at risk.
“Unlike President Biden Biden, who wants to insult Americans and insult Mississippians, I actually trust Mississippians to make good decisions.” pic.twitter.com/L0y5D9Awgk
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 7, 2021
While many health experts across the country have supported the mandating of masks, those mandates have not always worked as some people refused to comply with the regulation. That has held true in states that do not have mask mandates, with some residents in those states choosing to wear masks despite the lack of government mandates.
MISSISSIPPI LIFTS COUNTY MASK MANDATES AND ALLOWS BUSINESSES ‘TO OPERATE AT FULL CAPACITY’
Asked by Tapper if he would recommend the use of masks without mandating them, Reeves acknowledged that would be his advice.
“I not only recommend it, I encourage it,” Reeves responded. “If you have not received the vaccination and you’re going into a large crowd or if you’re going out to dinner, I strongly encourage to Mississippians and people across the country to wear a mask because I believe that it does, in fact, reduce the ability of individuals to spread the virus. No question about that, Jake.”
Reeves also defended his decision to open his state, arguing that the state’s economy needed to get “rolling” as the numbers show a decline in hospitalizations.
“Well, the fact is that in our state, throughout this pandemic, our approach has been to not only protect lives but to also protect livelihoods. We have to get our economy rolling so that individuals can get back to work, and I think that is critically important,” Reeves said. “Let’s talk a little bit more about the data. The fact is that at our peak, we had 1,450 Mississippians in hospital beds because of the virus. Today, that number is below 400. At our peak, we had 360 Mississippians in ICU beds. At this point, that number is below 120. The fact is we have seen significantly reduced levels.”
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The exchange comes as Reeves announced last week that Mississippi will lift mask mandates and allow businesses “to operate at full capacity” as early as Wednesday.
The move came the same day Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the decision to lift most of the state’s pandemic restrictions and end the statewide mask mandate.
