In response to public health officials sounding the alarm about a rise in coronavirus cases due to states eliminating basic safety measures, Protect Our Care Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas released the following statement:
“Republican led states are putting their constituents at risk by eliminating basic public safety measures, threatening to undo the progress of President Biden to defeat this pandemic.”
“State Republican officials like Governor Ron DeSantis and others are putting politics over saving lives by dropping mitigation measures and deliberately ignoring the advice of public health officials who are sounding the alarm about a rise in cases due to the actions of Republican-led states like Florida that are opening too quickly.
“As President Biden and health experts continue to urge people to remain cautious, especially as COVID-19 variants continue to spread, it’s Republican leaders who are actively working against defeating this pandemic and hindering President Biden’s ability to lead us out of this crisis.”
BACKGROUND
While President Biden and public health officials are urging Americans to remain vigilant in the fight against coronavirus…
- HEADLINE: “Fauci Warns Against Potential New COVID-19 Surge As Cases Remain High.” [CBS News, 3/29/21]
- Fauci Said An Increase In Travel And The Rolling Back Of Coronavirus Mitigation Measures Has Contributed To The Increase In Cases. “While new coronavirus variants identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa are ‘playing a part’ in the spikes of new cases, Fauci said, an increase in travel for spring break and rolling back of mitigation methods have also contributed. ‘Several states have done that. I believe it’s premature,’ he said of lifting measures such as mask mandates.” [CBS News, 3/29/21]
- HEADLINE: “CDC Chief Warns Of ‘Impending Doom’ As Covid Cases Surge.” [Politico, 3/29/21]
- CDC Director Rochelle Walensky Said She Would Be Speaking With Governors About Their Reopening Plans As Concern Spreads That States Have Opened Prematurely. “CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Monday said rebounding Covid case counts gave her a sense of ‘impending doom’ and warned the public to continue following public health precautions with more contagious strains of the virus taking hold. […] Walensky said she’ll be speaking to governors this week about their reopening plans, making it clear she thinks some have lifted restrictions prematurely — although according to the CDC website, states recording the highest rate of infection aren’t all those that have relaxed their rules.” [Politico, 3/29/21]
- HEADLINE: “CDC Director Warns Coronavirus Variants Could Spark Another Avoidable Surge.” [CNN, 3/23/21]
- HEADLINE: “The Latest: Biden Urges Americans To ‘Stick With The Rules.’” [Associated Press, 3/11/21]
- President Biden Urged Americans To Remain Caution And Warned That States May Need To Reinstate Restrictions If People Fail To Stay Vigilant. “President Joe Biden is urging Americans to “stick with the rules” as he wraps up his address to the nation on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. He is voicing optimism that the United States will edge toward a semblance of normalcy in the coming months, noting ‘there is hope and light of better days ahead if we all do our part.’ But the president is also warning that ‘we may have to reinstate restrictions’ if Americans fail to stay vigilant about social distancing and other precautions to help stem the virus. Biden says, ‘Please, we don’t want to do that again, we’ve made so much progress,’ adding, ‘This is not the time to let up.’” [Associated Press, 3/11/21]
Many states are seeing a rise in coronavirus cases as states continue to eliminate safety measures.
- HEADLINE: “In The U.S., Cases Tick Upward Again As Variants Spread And States Lift Restrictions.” [New York Times, 3/28/21]
- COVID Cases Are On The Rise Nationwide As Many States Have Been Lifting Coronavirus Safety Measures. “After weeks of decline followed by a steady plateau, coronavirus cases are rising again in the United States. Deaths are still decreasing, but the country averaged 61,545 cases last week, 11 percent more than the average two weeks earlier. Scientists predicted weeks ago that the number of infections would curve upward again in late March, at least in part because of the rise of variants of the coronavirus across the country. The variant that walloped Britain, called B.1.1.7, has led to a new wave of cases across most of Europe. Some scientists warned that it may lead to a new wave in the United States. The rise in infections is also a result of state leaders pulling back on mitigation measures, and large social interactions, like spring break gatherings in Florida, Dr. Anthony’S. Fauci, the Biden administration’s chief science adviser, said on the CBS program “Face the Nation’ on Sunday. ‘The variants are playing a part, but it’s not completely the variants,’ Dr. Fauci said. Most states have lifted restrictions, including on indoor dining, in response to the drop in numbers, actions that Dr. Fauci called ‘premature.’” [New York Times, 3/28/21]
- HEADLINE: “Millions Of Americans Remain Vulnerable As Variants Drive Up Cases.” [Axios, 3/29/21]
- Coronavirus Cases Are On The Rise In Some States As Variants Become More Widespread. “Coronavirus cases are on the rise again in several states, partially a result of variants of the virus becoming more widespread, experts say. Why it matters: Even though a remarkable 72% of Americans 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, millions of Americans — particularly younger Americans with underlying conditions — remain vulnerable.” [Axios, 3/29/21]
- HEADLINE: “Virus Fight Stalls In Early Hot Spots New York, New Jersey.” [Associated Press, 3/28/21]
- New York And New Jersey Again Have The Highest Rates Of Coronavirus Infections. “A year after becoming a global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, New York and New Jersey are back atop the list of U.S. states with the highest rates of infection. Even as the vaccination campaign has ramped up, the number of new infections in New Jersey has crept up by 37% in a little more than a month, to about 23,600 every seven days. About 54,600 people in New York tested positive for the virus in the last week, a number that has begun to inch up recently. The two states now rank No. 1 and 2 in new infections per capita among U.S. states. New Jersey has been reporting about 647 new cases for every 100,000 residents over the past 14 days. New York has averaged 548. The situation in New York and New Jersey mirrors a national trend that has seen case numbers inch up in recent days. The U.S. is averaging nearly 62,000 cases a day, up from 54,000 two weeks ago.” [Associated Press, 3/28/21]
- HEADLINE: Michigan’s COVID-19 Cases Rise For Fifth Straight Week.” [Detroit News, 3/27/21]
- HEADLINE: “Spring Break Invasion Of South Florida Spurred By Cheap Fares And Lax Covid-19 Restrictions.” [NBC News, 3/22/23]
- South Florida Has “Virtually No COVID-19 Restrictions.” “Cheap flights, cheap hotels and the chance to party in a place with lots of sunshine and virtually no Covid-19 restrictions have created a ‘perfect storm’ amid the pandemic in South Florida, Miami’s mayor warned Monday. And local officials are bracing for more spring break mayhem like the kind that occurred over the weekend in Miami Beach when the crowds grew too big and too wild and police cracked down hard, he said.” [NBC News, 3/22/23]
- HEADLINE: “After Spring Break, Coronavirus Cases Appear To Surge In Young Floridians.” [Palm Beach Post, 3/28/21]
- March 9: Maryland’s Governor Announced He Was Lifting Many Of The State’s Restrictions, Including Business Capacity Limits And The Out-Of-State Travel Ban.“Hogan announced on March 9 that he will lift many of the restrictions due to the pandemic in the state as far as indoor capacity of restaurants and businesses and lifting the out-of-state travel advisory while mandating masks be worn by residents to combat the coronavirus. Hogan’s order took effect March 12 at 5 p.m.” [The Washington Informer, 3/17/21]
- March 2: Mississippi’s Governor Ended The State’s Mask Mandate. “Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced the end of Mississippi’s statewide mask mandate on March 2. Tate Reeves: Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules. Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time! March 2, 2021.” [NBC News, 3/5/21]
- February 12: Montana’s Governor Ended The State’s Mask Mandate. “Montana’s statewide mask mandate that had been in place since July was lifted Friday by Gov. Greg Gianforte, but some cities and counties are keeping local mask requirements because they think the governor’s move was premature. Gianforte, a Republican, promised the day after assuming office in January that he would lift the state’s mask mandate once there were liability protections in place for businesses and health care providers, and once enough vulnerable Montana residents were vaccinated against COVID-19.” [Associated Press, 2/12/21]
- March 12: New Hampshire’s Governor Announced An Easing Of COVID Restrictions Including Lifting The Capacity Limits On Retail Stores And The Eliminating The Quarantine Requirement For Out-Of-State Travelers. “New Hampshire is easing some of its COVID restrictions on businesses and travel. […] New Hampshire is also easing some restrictions there. The state will no longer require out-of-state travelers to quarantine when they arrive, but it’s still recommended. […] The governor also says retail stores can now operate at full capacity but says the mask mandate will remain in effect.” [Yahoo News, 3/12/21]
- March 6: West Virginia’s Governor Began Allowing Bars, Restaurants, Retail Stores, Gyms, And Movie Theaters To Operate At 100 Percent Capacity. “As of midnight Saturday morning, bars and restaurants can now seat indoors at 100 percent capacity. The same is true for retail stores, gyms, and movie theaters. West Virginia’s rapid decline in key COVID-19 numbers is the reason for the full re-opening.” [WOWK, 3/5/21]