Governors lift COVID-19 restrictions despite risks of new spike

Source: The Hill | February 28, 2021 | Peter Sullivan

Governors across the country are lifting coronavirus restrictions, including mask mandates and capacity limits, despite warning signs ahead of a new spike from virus variants.

The moves in several states are risky, given that while cases and hospitalizations have declined dramatically in recent weeks, they are still at extremely high levels, and are showing signs of ticking back up again.

More infectious variants of the virus, particularly one first found in the United Kingdom, are adding to the threat of a new spike as they become more prevalent.

While vaccinations are starting to help get the pandemic under control, they are not yet widely available, leaving a crucial period of perhaps a couple of months until increases in vaccine supply can make a larger dent in the pandemic and help ease a return to normal.

The Biden administration on Friday raised new alarms about the need to keep restrictions in place. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing that data indicates recent declines in cases “may be stalling” in a “very concerning shift in the trajectory.”

“Things are tenuous,” she said. “Now is not the time to relax restrictions.”

The White House is avoiding a face-off with governors by declining to call out specific states easing restrictions too soon. However, Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser for the coronavirus response, made it clear their advice contradicts several states recently moving ahead with downgrading lockdown measures.

“We couldn’t say it in stronger terms: We think it is a mistake to take our foot off the gas too early, especially when we are accelerating our vaccination efforts right now,” he said Friday.

Governors on both sides of the aisle are beginning to loosen restrictions, though Republicans have generally been more aggressive.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) on Thursday announced that there will no longer be any capacity limits on restaurants, and that indoor performance venues like concert halls can reopen at 50 percent capacity starting next week.

Republican governors in Iowa and Montana lifted statewide mask mandates earlier this month.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Thursday he is considering removing all statewide coronavirus orders, including the mask mandate.

“We’re working right now on evaluating when we’re gonna be able to remove all statewide orders, and we will be making announcements about that pretty soon,” Abbott said, according to The Texas Tribune.

In a more modest step, Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday eased some limits, allowing bars at 30 percent capacity and restaurants at 50 percent.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) allowed indoor dining to reopen at 25 percent capacity in New York City ahead of Valentine’s Day.

“Bluntly, yes they are risking yet another spike,” William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said of states lifting restrictions.

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While cases have declined dramatically since January, with peaks of as many as 250,000 new cases per day, they are still at extremely high levels, and showing signs of plateauing around 70,000 per day, and maybe even rising again.

Hospitalizations have likewise fallen, but there are still over 52,000 people in the hospital with the virus, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

If the country can get through a few more months, until vaccinations are more widespread, the situation could be much better by summer.

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  • Consistent #47666

    EVERYDAY #47669

    Sigh! These governors are not very bright. And when COVID cases go up, they will pretend not to know why.

    BTW the easing of restrictions by Govs. Baker & Cuomo are not that bad. Bars here are not open, but reataurant capacity in PA is about the same. I still think the superspreaders are not bars and restaurants. They are CPAC and Trump rallies. In other words Trumpy gatherings.

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