‘Probably Premature’: Biden Pushes Back Against Blue States Lifting Mask Mandates

President Joe Biden rebuked a number of Democratic-run states on Thursday for loosening or ending mask mandates.

Biden sat for an interview with Lester Holt of NBC News that aired on Thursday. The president said that the decision to lift mask mandates is “probably premature,” though he lightened his criticism by saying that the choice to lift or keep mandates is “tough,” according to The Hill.

“The science is saying now masks work, masks make a difference,” Biden said, referring to recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I committed that I would follow the science, the science as put forward by the CDC and the federal people,” Biden added later. “I think it’s probably premature but it’s a tough call.”

Democratic governors in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York have rolled back or dropped mask mandates in recent days as the omicron variant of COVID-19, a less virulent and highly transmissible strain of the illness, spreads. Public opinion has also swung against restrictive measures as more and more Americans want a return to pre-COVID normalcy regardless of the disease. Both factors may be contributing to the changing stance of Democratic governors.

As The Daily Wire reported:
Omicron is believed to have served — at least in part — as a natural immunizer because it was contagious, yet mild compared to the Delta variant. Cases are dropping in almost every state and hospitalizations are falling. For the first time in over a month, there are fewer than 100,000 Americans currently hospitalized for COVID, and a major contributing factor is natural immunity.