Mississippi columnist buries GOP governor for staying 'silent' while COVID burns through the state

On Tuesday, writing for the Biloxi Sun Herald, columnist Anita Lee tore into Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves for staying "silent" in the face of a mounting COVID crisis in Mississippi.

"As the highly contagious delta variant pushed new cases to a record number Wednesday and hospitals were overwhelmed, Gov. Tate Reeves has failed to resume regular news briefings or re-institute a mask mandate," wrote Lee. "Instead, the governor's most publicized statements this summer have been that he regrets closing businesses during the pandemic and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was 'foolish' to recommend masks for vaccinated individuals in areas with high transmission rates" — a statement he made at the Neshoba County Fair in July, where he made clear he will not implement a school mask mandate.

Reeves, whose state is currently seeing an explosion of COVID cases, has faced fire on national media for his state's low rates of vaccination. And, argued Lee, his leadership has not improved.

"Reeves, who occasionally went without a mask even when he was urging others to wear them, has lately been pictured in crowds at Republican events in Florida and public events in Mississippi without a mask," wrote Lee. "In the absence of direction from the governor, some Mississippi school districts are mandating masks and some cities have reinstituted mask mandates in municipal buildings."

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