Topline
Wyoming will lift its statewide mask mandate on March 16 along with other restrictions on businesses including restaurants and bars, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday, the latest in a string of Republican-led states that have gone against the advice of public health officials and dropped their face mask orders in recent weeks.
Visitors with masks in Yellowstone National Park on June 15, 2020 outside Jackson, Wyoming. (Photo ... [+]
Key Facts
In addition to lifting the mask mandate, restaurants, bars, gyms and theaters will be allowed to resume “normal operations,” Gordon said, with more details on the lifted orders to be announced later this week.
Gordon’s office cited the state’s “continually improving health metrics” as the reason behind the change, as well as the governor’s “approach of balancing public health with protecting livelihoods.”
The governor had previously lifted some restrictions in the state starting March 1, including on businesses like salons and barber shops, but the mask mandate stayed in effect.
Wyoming imposed its mask mandate in December as Covid-19 cases in the state surged, and it requires people to wear masks indoors in businesses, government facilities, healthcare settings and on public transportation, with some exceptions.
The state currently has social distancing guidelines in place for restaurants that do not restrict capacity, but directs tables to be spaced apart and requires people to be seated at tables or booths, among other social distancing recommendations.
Wyoming’s health department reports there are now 460 active Covid-19 cases in the state, and according to the New York Times, cases in Wyoming have declined by 44% over the past 14 days.
Chief Critic
Public health officials have been highly critical of Republican-led states’ decisions to lift mask mandates, given that Covid-19 cases nationwide have plateaued at a still-high level and new, more transmissible coronavirus variants threaten a new surge in cases. Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that getting rid of the mask orders was “ill-advised” and “really quite risky,” noting that the recent leveling off of cases is “a dangerous sign because when that has happened in the past, when you pull back on measures of public health, invariably you’ve seen a surge back up.”
Tangent
Before imposing the state’s mask mandate in December, Gordon had previously resisted calls to impose one, instead saying wearing a mask should be a matter of “personal responsibility”—an argument that came under greater scrutiny when the governor contracted Covid-19 himself in November.
Key Background
Wyoming follows Texas and Mississippi in dropping their mask mandates, which has sparked controversy and been decried by President Joe Biden as “Neanderthal thinking.” Montana, Iowa and North Dakota have also lifted their mask orders in recent months. The rescinded guidance is part of a broader trend of states getting rid of various Covid-19 restrictions as cases have dropped following a holiday season surge and as more Americans get vaccinated. The wave of reopenings, which public health officials have opposed, has been seen in both Republican and Democratic-led states: Connecticut’s Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont lifted the state’s capacity restrictions on businesses like restaurants and gyms last week, for instance, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday the state would raise capacity for indoor dining to 75% outside of New York City.
What To Watch For
Arkansas is poised to lift its mask mandate on March 31 if certain health metrics are met, and Alabama will follow April 9, after Gov. Kay Ivey extended her mask order last week for another month but said she will not extend it further. A number of other Republican governors have been hesitant to follow suit and overturn their own mask mandates, however, with leaders in West Virginia, Utah, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and Massachusetts all signaling last week they had no intention to immediately revoke their orders.
Further Reading
Wyoming will lift face mask mandate next week (Casper Star-Tribune)
Republican-Led States Weigh Dropping Mask Mandates Following Texas And Mississippi (Forbes)
Texas And Mississippi Drop Covid-19 Restrictions — Even Mask Mandates (Forbes)
