Putting the Cart Before the Horse

I wouldn't refer to Texans as Neanderthals, but I have to agree with Biden about this hasty decision in the face of dangerous variants and despite what we've gone through the past year.  And if you look at today's map at COVIDActNow, the entire state of Texas is in red, the color of an active outbreak. I wish them good luck.

From the New York Times: "Texas, meanwhile, has gone further than any other state or city, and on Tuesday moved to lift its mask requirement and allow all businesses to fully reopen. While Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged that 'Covid has not suddenly disappeared,' he said that state mandates were no longer needed because treatments for Covid-19 are available, the state is able to test widely, and 5.7 million vaccine shots have already been distributed among the population of 29 million." 

"President Biden’s response today was blunt about the need to give the vaccination campaign more time. 'The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything’s fine, take off your mask and forget it,' he told reporters at the White House. 'It’s critical, critical, critical, critical that they follow the science. Wash your hands, hot water. Do it frequently, wear a mask and stay socially distanced. And I know you all know that. I wish the heck some of our elected officials knew it.'"