Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Big Mistake': Biden Slams States For Prematurely Lifting Covid Precautions
CNBC: Biden Slams Governors For Lifting Mask Mandates, Calls It 'Neanderthal Thinking'
President Joe Biden on Wednesday slammed states that repealed Covid-19 restrictions on businesses and rescinded mask mandates for residents, calling the moves a “big mistake. ”Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, both Republicans, announced Tuesday they would allow businesses to reopen at 100% capacity and lift mask mandates. Biden’s remarks were in response to shouted questions from the press specifically about the two states. (Feuer, 3/3)
NPR: Neanderthal Thinking: Biden Says Too Soon To Stop Wearing Masks For COVID-19
President Biden said on Wednesday that states like Texas and Mississippi are making a big mistake by ending mandates to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at a time when the nation is making a push to boost vaccinations. "The last thing — the last thing — we need is the Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything's fine, take off your mask. Forget it. It still matters," Biden told reporters as he met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Oval Office. (Rascoe, 3/3)
NBC News: 'Neanderthal Thinking': Biden Criticizes Texas, Mississippi For Lifting Mask Mandates
The governors' decision came just one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that relaxing the guidelines could cause cases to trend upward again. Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for Covid-19 response, said Wednesday that the Biden administration was "using the absolute full extent of all of the areas where we have federal control" to enforce health guidelines and that they were "actively being very, very clear on what we think needs to happen." (Egan, 3/3)
Politico: 'Neanderthal Thinking': Biden Lays Into States Lifting Covid Restrictions
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, laid into Biden for his comments Wednesday. "President Biden said allowing Mississippians to decide how to protect themselves is 'neanderthal thinking.' Mississippians don’t need handlers," Reeves wrote in a tweet. "As numbers drop, they can assess their choices and listen to experts. I guess I just think we should trust Americans, not insult them." (Leonard, 3/3)
The New York Times: Biden Calls State Decisions To End Mask Mandates ‘Neanderthal Thinking’
Clay Jenkins, the county judge of Dallas County, said the governor “absolutely” decided to reopen the state to distract residents from the sky-high electricity bills and credit card balances they faced after the storm. “This gives people something to talk about other than the state’s failure to protect the power grid,” he said. (Moya, Robertson, Coulehan and Dobbins, 3/4)
And Dr. Fauci responds —
CNN: Fauci Calls Loosening Covid-19 Restrictions Inexplicable As Variants Threaten Another Surge
While tens of thousands of Americans are infected with the coronavirus each day and more research suggests variants threaten another surge, some state leaders are loosening Covid-19 restrictions against the recommendations of health experts. The decision to rollback measures is "inexplicable," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (Holcombe, 3/4)
Also —
Politico: New Mask Wars Threaten Biden's Pandemic Response At Critical Moment
The White House is on a collision course with red state governors over mask mandates and other coronavirus restrictions, testing the bipartisan unity that President Joe Biden has tried to tap in curbing Covid. Top administration officials on Wednesday pleaded with residents of Texas and Mississippi to remain vigilant, fearing that plans by those states’ governors to lift public health precautions will seed a resurgence of the virus. (Cancryn and Kumar, 3/3)
