Where is Tate Reeves? Governor stays mostly silent as COVID skyrockets in Mississippi
As the highly contagious delta variant pushed new cases to a record number Wednesday and hospitals were overwhelmed, Gov. Tate Reeves has failed to resume regular news briefings or re-institute a mask mandate.
Instead, the governor’s most publicized statements this summer have been that he regrets closing businesses during the pandemic and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was “foolish” to recommend masks for vaccinated individuals in areas with high transmission rates.
Reeves leveled the criticism at the CDC during a recent speech at the Neshoba County Fair.
Reeves explained on SuperTalk FM: “If you are trying to increase the number of individuals who get vaccinated in our state, the worst thing you can possibly do is tell them ‘Whether you get vaccinated or not, you’re still going to have to do all the same things.’
“It creates perverse incentives and it makes no sense whatsoever. It was wrong and quite frankly, it was foolish, and it’s hurting more than it’s helping in the pandemic.”
The Sun Herald emailed Reeves a list of questions Wednesday morning about potential COVID news briefings, COVID hospitalizations, his current assessment of COVID in Mississippi and related issues. Instead of answering the questions, he responded through his press secretary with a statement:
“Governor Reeves has publicly stated, time and time again, that he believes the vaccines are safe and effective. He has publicly encouraged Mississippians to get vaccinated, while still defending their right to decide what is best for them and their family.
“Governor Reeves makes himself accessible to the public and press regularly including yesterday during his trip to Blue Mountain, and he will continue to do so. Governor Reeves stands by the comments he made at the Neshoba County Fair.”
Jobs vs. COVID, low vaccine rates
In Tippah County’s Blue Mountain on Tuesday, Reeves celebrated the expansion of a trucking company that will add 50 jobs, according to WCBI-TV. He also told the TV station that he has no intention of ordering another lockdown in Mississippi.
On his Facebook page, Reeves posted Tuesday about Big M’s expansion, as he has regularly featured job announcements lately.
But some people commenting on his post wanted to talk about COVID instead.
“Tate,” one woman wrote, “if you don’t do something about the virus in Mississippi there’s not going to be enough people to work in your Big m company. And don’t say you trust people to do the right thing because if they were doing the right thing there wouldn’t have been nearly 5,000 new cases over the 3-day weekend.”
Her comment had prompted 95 responses, sparking the inevitable argument over the effectiveness of vaccines. Studies have found that COVID vaccines are safe and effective, a message both Reeves and State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs have repeated.
Maskless Reeves wades into crowded events
Today, Mississippi has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation, with 2.2 million doses administered but only around 1 million residents fully vaccinated, or 34.4%. The national rate is 49.7%.
The state currently has the fourth highest case count in the nation, with 58 cases per 100,000 residents, topped only by Louisiana, which has the highest case count, Florida and Arkansas, a New York Times database shows.
The CDC recommended masks indoors for those who are vaccinated for the protection of the unvaccinated and because the delta variant is more transmissible and “breakthrough infections” do occur in some vaccinated individuals.
However, people who have been vaccinated are far less likely to need hospitalization or to die from COVID.
Reeves, who occasionally went without a mask even when he was urging others to wear them, has lately been pictured in crowds at Republican events in Florida and public events in Mississippi without a mask.
In the absence of direction from the governor, some Mississippi school districts are mandating masks and some cities have reinstituted mask mandates in municipal buildings.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 4:21 PM.
