Biden criticizes Texas, Mississippi for lifting coronavirus restrictions: ‘Neanderthal thinking’

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President BidenJoe Biden Head of Intercept Office: Minimum Wage Was Not ‘High Priority’ for Biden in COVID-19 Relief South Carolina Senate Adds Firing Squad as Alternative Execution Method Obama Alumnus Seth Harris to Serve as Biden’s Labor Counselor: Report MORE on Wednesday denounced Texas and Mississippi governors for lifting the coronavirus restrictions, calling the moves “Neanderthal thinking.”

“I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday when asked about the two states lifting their mask mandates and all capacity limits for businesses.

“I hope everyone realizes by now that these masks make a difference,” he added. “We are about to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of how we can get vaccines into people’s arms.”

He noted that enough vaccines will be available for all adults by May.

“The last thing we need is for the Neanderthal to think everything is okay in the meantime, take off your mask and forget it,” he said. “It still matters.”

“We won’t get everyone vaccinated until sometime this summer,” said Biden.

He said that in the meantime, people should continue to wear masks, wash their hands, and distance themselves from others.

“I know you all know that,” he told reporters. “I would like to know that some of our elected officials knew.”

Biden’s comments mark a major escalation of White House rhetoric. Public health officials reiterated in general terms earlier in the day that now is not the time to lift the restrictions, but to avoid naming specific states.

The country is in a precarious moment in the course of the pandemic, experts say, with the promise of widespread vaccinations within a few months hoping for a dramatic improvement in the situation by the summer.

But experts say continued limitations in the latter stretch are important before vaccines are widely available, especially with the emergence of more infectious variants of the virus.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Tuesday cited ongoing vaccinations as a reason to lift the mask mandate and all capacity limits.

“We now need to do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent,” he said.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) had a similar message on Tuesday.

“Executive orders disrupting people’s lives were the worst, but the only possible intervention for much of the past year,” he tweeted. “Now we are focusing on rapid distribution of vaccines. We will stop telling people what they can and cannot do.”

Updated at 2:42 PM

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