州长格雷格·艾伯特宣布德克萨斯州将结束一场全州面具授权允许企业满负荷重新开业遭到了严厉的批评。
“绝对鲁莽，”加州州长加文·纽瑟姆说在推特上写道在周二雅培公司宣布"德州100%开放的时间到了."
雅培指出，小企业主受到了疫情的伤害。
“太多的德州人失去了就业机会，”他说。“太多的小企业主一直在努力支付账单。这必须结束。”
德克萨斯州民主党主席希尔维托·伊诺霍萨发表声明，反对雅培的决定。
“雅培所谓的亲商就是反人民，”伊诺霍萨说。“毫无疑问:过早开放德克萨斯州只会导致COVID传播速度加快，我们的医院出现更多疾病和过度拥挤，以及不必要的死亡。不战胜危机，就没有经济复苏冠状病毒流行病。这将使我们后退，而不是前进。"
研究表明，广泛佩戴口罩对经济有好处。根据对美国数据的分析疾病控制和预防中心强调增加15%的普遍掩蔽“可以防止封锁的需要，并减少高达1万亿美元的相关损失”，约占美国国内生产总值的5%。
贾斯汀·雷克斯/美联社
得克萨斯州州长格雷格·艾伯特在马萨诸塞州蒙泰隆戈的墨西哥餐厅发表声明
健康专家同样质疑州长开放该州并取消面具命令，自7月份开始实施。新规定于3月10日生效。
贝勒医学院国家热带医学院教授兼院长彼得·霍特兹博士说:“现在绝对不是做这件事的时候，告诉MSNBC。
霍特兹表示，虽然德克萨斯州的病例已从峰值水平下降，但这种病毒的变体，如首次在英国发现的B.1.1.7，对这种下降趋势构成了风险。
“我们都在期待另一个主要的浪潮，”他说。德克萨斯州也落后于疫苗接种，此前一场冬季风暴摧毁了其电网，扰乱了疫苗分发。
“让我们让德州更高比例的人口接种疫苗，”霍特兹补充道。"我认为现在做还为时过早。"
其他的健康专家敦促德克萨斯州坚持到底，继续戴口罩，不管是否需要。
休斯顿卫理公会医院的总裁兼首席执行官马克·布姆博士在一份声明中说:“即使这不是强制性的，作为一名医疗保健专业人员，我也敦促所有得克萨斯人戴上我们的口罩，直到我们社区的足够多的人接种疫苗，从而接近群体免疫。”“除了接种疫苗，戴口罩是抑制感染并开始恢复正常的最有效方法。我们强烈建议您做出个人决定，继续佩戴口罩。”
安东尼·福奇博士此前曾警告各州不要过早重新开放。在周五的白宫简报会上，福奇警告说，在美国新感染的基线平均水平降低之前，不要放松限制。
福奇说，“在放松某些限制之前，我们必须仔细看看未来一周左右这些数字会发生什么”。"密切关注它，并准备根据实际发生的情况做出反应."
白宫高级新冠肺炎顾问安迪·斯拉维特星期二晚上告诉美国有线电视新闻网，他希望雅培公司重新考虑取消限制，特别是口罩的授权，尽管他没有建议总统乔·拜登应该打电话给州长，要求他改变路线。
“我们认为过早取消这些授权是错误的。口罩拯救了许多生命，”他说。“总统清楚地知道，在本届政府执政的头100天里，如果我们坚持下去，我们可以挽救5万人的生命。我希望德克萨斯州的企业、社区和人民、市长、县政府会重新考虑这一点。我希望州长重新考虑一下。只需要一小块布。”
Swift backlash after Texas governor drops COVID restrictions
Gov. Greg Abbott's announcement that Texas would end astatewide mask mandateand allow businesses to reopen at full capacity has been met with harsh criticism.
"Absolutely reckless," California Gov. Gavin Newsomwrote on Twittershortly after the press conference Tuesday in which Abbott announced that it was"time to open Texas 100%."
Abbott pointed to small business owners hurt by the pandemic.
"Too many Texans have been sidelined from employment opportunities," he said. "Too many small business owners have struggled to pay their bills. This must end."
Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Democratic party in Texas, issued a statement pushing back on Abbott's decision.
"What Abbott calls pro-business is anti-people," Hinojosa said. "Make no mistake: Opening Texas prematurely will only lead to faster COVID spread, more sickness and overcrowding in our hospitals, and unnecessary deaths. There is no economic recovery without beating thecoronaviruspandemic. This will set us back, not move us forward."
Research has shown that widespread mask wearing is good for the economy. According to an analysis of U.S. data that theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted, increasing universal masking by 15% "could prevent the need for lockdowns and reduce associated losses of up to $1 trillion," roughly 5% of U.S. gross domestic product.
Health experts similarly questioned the governor's decision to open the state and lift themask mandate, which had been in place since July. The new rules are effective March 10.
"This is definitely not the time to being doing this," Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine,told MSNBC.
While cases in Texas have declined from their peak, variants of the virus, like B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the United Kingdom, pose a risk to that downward trend, according to Hotez.
"We are all anticipating another major wave," he said. Texas is also behind on vaccinations following a winter storm that knocked out its power grid and snarled vaccine distribution.
"Let's get a much higher percentage of the population of Texas vaccinated," Hotez added. "To do it now, I think, is premature."
Otherhealthexperts urged Texas to stay the course and keep wearing masks, regardless of whether it's required.
"Even if it is not mandated, as a health care professional I urge all Texans to wear our masks until enough of our community is vaccinated that we approach herd immunity," Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist Hospital, said in a statement. "Besides being vaccinated, wearing a mask is the most effective way to keep infections down and begin to return to normal. We strongly encourage you to make the personal decision to keep wearing your mask."
Dr. Anthony Fauci had previously cautioned states against reopening too quickly. At a White House briefing on Friday, Fauci warned against easing restrictions until the U.S. baseline average of new infections is lower.
"We have to carefully look at what happens over the next week or so with those numbers" before relaxing certain restrictions, Fauci said. "Watch it closely, and be prepared to react according to what actually happens."
White House senior COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt told CNN Tuesday night he hopes Abbott will rethink lifting restrictions, especially the mask mandate, though he stopped short of suggesting President Joe Biden should call the governor to ask him to change course.
"We think it's a mistake to lift these mandate too early. Masks are saving a lot of lives," he said. "The president has been clear about the fact that in the first 100 days of this administration, we could save 50,000 lives if we stick to this. I'm hoping that the businesses, and the community and people in Texas, the mayors, the county, will rethink this. I hope the governor rethinks this. It's only a small piece of cloth that's needed."
