A maskless Abbott

Hey this is boring let’s open everything up now! Right now! Never mind that vaccinations are only getting started, let’s do it now!

That’s Texas asshole governor Greg Abbott’s take anyway.

With less than 7% of Texans fully vaccinated and another Covid-19 surge potentially imminent, Texas is flinging open businesses to full capacity while simultaneously ending its highly politicized mask mandate, the state’s governor, Greg Abbott, announced on Tuesday.

“It is now time to open Texas 100%,” a maskless Abbott declared to cheers at a crowded restaurant in the city of Lubbock.

Yeah! Let’s have surge number 4!

When Abbott’s policy changes go into effect next week, Texas will be the most populous state in the country that does not require residents to wear masks. Restaurants and other businesses can choose to maintain their own mask policies, but without government backing to do so.

So all the performative libertarians will go to those restaurants and businesses without masks and dare anyone to object. Fun times.

Other states and cities have likewise started rolling back precautions. In Mississippi – another Republican stronghold – Governor Tate Reeves also announced on Tuesday that the state was lifting rules for businesses and doing away with county mask mandates.

Yes that’s great. Mississippi can well afford to have its hospitals fill up. It’s the poorest state in the country but what the hell, it can sell Girl Scout cookies if the Girl Scouts will share.

Abbott’s announcement – which comes after about 43,000 Texans have died from the virus, and while many Texans are still ineligible for the vaccine – sparked immediate and vehement backlash, from Democratic mayors to workers’ advocates infuriated that Texans of color will once again be the hardest hit.

Tsss of course they will – they do the crappiest jobs for the least money, and those jobs don’t tend to feature a lot of good managers who work hard to keep their workers safe and healthy. That’s how we do things in America.

“I think this is a slap in the face of working people, especially frontline workers, who have been risking their lives,” said Emily Timm, the co-executive director of Workers Defense Action Fund.

She’s just virtue-signaling, am I right?

Never mind, spring break is coming up, let’s party.

As most meaningful coronavirus-related restrictions disappear from Texas, the state is simultaneously staring down what could easily be a series of superspreader events over spring break.

South Texas beach towns in Corpus Christi and the already hard-hit Rio Grande Valley have long been popular destinations among party-going college students from around the country, and as tourists pack into bars and restaurants, none of them will have to wear masks or socially distance.

“You think we had a horrible spike on Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July, and during the holidays?” Hinojosa said. “The spike that this state will experience in coronavirus cases will be extremely high – and will cause many, many more deaths than any responsible governor should have allowed.”

Booya!

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