In the face of record numbers of coronavirus cases, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is ordering most Texans to wear face masks in public—not asking or encouraging, but ordering:
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide mask mandate Thursday as Texas scrambles to get its coronavirus surge under control.
The order requires Texans living in counties more than 20 coronavirus cases to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth while in a business or other building open to the public, as well as outdoor public spaces, whenever social distancing is not possible. But it provides several exceptions, including for children who are younger than 10 years old, people who have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, people who are eating or drinking, and people who are exercising outdoors.
The mask order goes into effect at 12:01 p.m. Friday. It immediately applies to all Texas counties, but counties with 20 or fewer active cases can be exempted — if they opt out. County judges must submit an application to be exempted to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. TDEM will list the counties that have opted out on its website [Patrick Svitek, “Gov. Greg Abbott Orders Texans in Most Counties to Wear Masks in Public,” Texas Tribune, 2020.07.02].
According to South Dakota’s coronavirus website, Pennington County, where thousands of people will gather to watch maskless Kristi Noem and Donald Trump cuddle beneath fireworks this evening, has 122 active cases of coronavirus. Hughes County, where Noem works, has 23 active cases. Minnehaha County, which Noem visited last week to tout her handouts of federal dollars, has 215 active cases. Ten South Dakota counties total have 20 or more active coronavirus cases, thus meeting the Texas criterion for mandating face masks in public to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
The active duty military veterans gave up years of their lives to protect these selfish morons who refuse to just wear a mask to protect their own families. I have to keep reminding myself that it was done for the greater good of humanity, which seems to include the mental midgets.
Texas at least is trying to show that they care about their citizens. South Dakota, not so much.
“At Friday’s fireworks display at Mount Rushmore where 7,500 people including President Trump and other out-of-state visitors are expected, no social distancing measures will be in effect and no mask policy will be enforced despite the COVID-19 pandemic.” Rapid City Journal 7.3.20
Herman Cain, remember that knuckle head, went to Tulsa, and got a dose of the Covid19 after saying that masks are not for Godfathers. Stupid is as stupid does.
We will be begging for just 122 active cases here in two weeks. Trump and Noem’s covid orgy tonight is going to make a lot of people here sick. I used to joke when I travel for my job I couldn’t wait to get back to the relative safety of western SD, that all changes after today.
And, we’re off! 10 cases today and it’s just noon! How about that. Who would’ve thunk it? Set your score cards ladies and gents. 10 day to 2 weeks from now, it’s gonna be a difficult time for Pennington and for the rest of the Black Hills.
Gov. Noem’s been trying to convince everyone that the reason we don’t have “that many” cases is because she “trusted” us to “practice freedom and be responsible.” And a lot of people are falling for this horsepucky.
What she doesn’t say – or admit – is that SD ranks among the 5 least populated states, the 5 with least population density. This means that in very rural counties, less chance of getting the virus; in cities, the same as anywhere else. Sioux Falls currently has a 2.1% infection rate; South Dakota as a whole currently has almost the same rate of infection as the US – 1%.
It’s not about freedom or normality – it’s about how many people you interact with, and how. So, Governor Noem is right now about to go into a mix of 7,500 people – which is the equivalent of 9.5% of the population of SD. And she doesn’t know where any of them have been. And she’s not going to wear a mask.
BTW, here’s something else no one’s talking about – 7,500 people are going to be shuttled to Mount Rushmore, in 85+ degree weather, on school buses. Probably without air conditioning. Think there might be a certain lack of masks? Whiffiness? Sweat? And then they troop on up and sit next to each other again. And then, AFTER IT’S ALL OVER, they all get to cram back into the buses again to get back to their cars, etc. It’s like they’re deliberately trying to infect their own!
GNOem reminds me of General Pickett at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1863 when he was told that the American Union lines looked easy to take. General Pickett lost his entire division of Confederate troops that afternoon. When that attempt failed, the confederate army was defeated for the rest of the Civil War. The Union is as formidable as the Covid19, both need to be respected and both are not easily defeated. GNOem is a confederate that will see the same kind of defeat when messing with the Union. GNOem not only has disrespected what America is all about, GNOem has failed to lead against this pandemic and her failure will result in too many preventable casualties of this war against the Covid19, in short, GNOem has lost.
Texas’ dimwitted gov has exempted polling places from the mask order. That will make the MAGAts happy, while discouraging intelligent people from voting. Mere coincidence, I’m sure. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
I’ve been seeing the coverage of the Mt. Rushmore event on cable and broadcast news, and it’s not good if you’re trying to market South Dakota to tourists. Noem, especially, has come in for heavy criticism from doctors and scientists for her non-leadership on COVID-19. One offered up his opinion that South Dakota should have a 25th amendment option to get rid of her.
All in all, this is going to end up being a big negative for South Dakotans. These folks all look and act like stupid rubes, completely as out of control as college students at spring break. Two weeks from now we’ll see the result of Covid Kristi’s handiwork. Actually, I hope all those folks die fast, before they can pass Covid on to their loved ones who had the sense to stay the eff away from this insanity.
For those who may have missed this https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/inside-italys-covid-war/
We may be seeing this on our own front lines…more sooner than later
drumpf body count….
Deaths:
132,101
Noem Nothing invited Hannity to South Dakota 2 days ago. And no, I didn’t waste time watching it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3OuiakBXPs
Dusty is the only one on stage with a mask.
Kristi is upset with an organized effor to discredit our history and our leaders (like Trump and the entire GOP has actively obstructed and revised since 2008). Putin bounties on US soldiers.
Trump is saying we are trying to censor him and his base. No access to net since last post, Hmmm?
Trump is afraid our Justice system will deteriorate to one of vengeance. Wow.
trump has made us number 1!!
“The US recorded its largest single-day rise of coronavirus infections on Friday, bringing the total to more than 2.5 million – the most in the world.”
We don’t need no stinkin vaccine, not when we have GNOem and trump killing us faster than we could possibly defend ourselves. Wait a couple of weeks to see how this shenanigan turns out.
Ruh oh, “The girlfriend of Donald Trump Jnr, the US president’s eldest son, has tested positive for the coronavirus, US media have reported.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is a former Fox News television personality and a senior fundraiser for Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, is just the latest person in Trump’s inner circle to contract the potentially deadly virus. The news also comes as the US is experiencing a huge spike in coronavirus cases and amid withering criticism of Trump’s response to the crisis.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/04/kimberly-guilfoyle-donald-trump-jrs-girlfriend-tests-positive-for-covid-19
Should’ve worn that pesky mask, crazy girl. Oh well, Covid happens.
A little over a month ago our so-called medical “experts” predicted that, right now, there would be 400 people hospitalized in West River South Dakota:
https://monument.health/west-river-covid-19-cases-could-peak-earlier-than-expected/
Know how many are hospitalized? 58 … in the entire state.
That’s the story of this whole affair, isn’t it? Wildly inaccurate predictions with no corresponding retraction or mea culpa.
Guess what — the event today at Mt Rushmore isn’t going to result in 400 hospitalizations. The Sturgis motorcycle rally isn’t going to result in 400 hospitalizations. Nothing is, and the sky isn’t going to fall, no matter how much some of you want it to.
South Dakota isn’t Texas or Italy. Enough already.
The article Neal linked is dated May 27, 2020, and identifies the individuals Neal dismisses as “our so-called medical ‘experts’” as
If individuals at Monument Health cannot be trusted because what they reported “could” happen did not actually come to pass, then one wonders who Neal would recommend for people who get sick and need medical care.
Meanwhile, in a June 10 story KOTA reports that approximately 13 days after the date of Neal’s article, there were 101 hospitalizations, 962 active cases, and 69 COVID 19 deaths as of that date.
https://www.kotatv.com/content/news/Hospitalizations-are-up-as-SD-records-69th-COVID-19-death-571161181.html
Apparently the current stats indicate 687 total hospitalizations, and 97 deaths reported by the SD Dep’t of Health.
https://doh.sd.gov/news/Coronavirus.aspx
Although Monument’s speculation about what “could” happen (not “would” happen) proved inaccurate, it would seem to be awfully naive to dismiss the advice of these “so called experts,” if that is the point of Neal’s comment, especially if you or a loved one gets sick and needs their help.
Donald Pay agree and the Johnson interview doesn’t help at all!
“Rep. Johnson, Cuomo clash over face masks at Mount Rushmore“
Any civilized,educated, person watching any of this right now, should be very very concerned by this cultish behavior.
Neal doesn’t want to submit to any authority that contradicts his preferred opinions. He wants coronavirus to go away at the snap of his wishful thinking. When he can’t win a debate based on facts and science, he has to dismiss the speakers of facts and science, so he can justify listening to nothing but Trump and the voices placed in his head by Fox News… both of which Bear could prove to be far more unreliable than Monument Health with a few quick links.
Monument Health looked at reasonable scientific models and gave reasonable warnings that, luckily, have not come to fruition so far. Monument Health nonetheless took reasonable action to be prepared for a public health crisis and continues to provide better health care and advice than Neal can by himself.
Donald Trump lies to us on a daily basis and models irresponsible behavior. Yet Neal hews to Donald’s cries, not his own local doctors’. Amazing.
But hey, Neal. Texas has rural counties. Texas has said counties with 20+ cases should all mask up. Why shouldn’t Pennington County, Minnehaha County, Brown County, and other counties meeting that criterion do the same? Are you going to discredit the Governor of Texas as an unreliable alarmist?
Neal’s we-dodged-a-catastrophe-so-the-catastrophe-is-fake reasoning is dangerous and misguided. Reliance on dumb luck will not (and should never) be the guidance for navigating a crisis. Novak Djokovic (an anti-vaxxer) took that route, then hosted a mass-speed event. Pastor Gerald O. Glenn defied social distancing orders for church services, then died of COVID-19. So many White House staff and secret service have tested positive who work close to the mask-less President Trump.
The original spike was averted BECAUSE we took cautionary measures. Precautions did not ‘prove” the spike not true, it CAUSED the spike’s avoidance. Now as we turn away from those precautions, that spike is a real possibility again.
Evidence is only important when it makes the point of addressing your opposition? Where is this love of evidence and empirical data when addressing economics, racism, injustice, corruption . . .?
Well said, O. Things are better than projected because lots of people more sensible than Neal dropped politics and took a public health risk seriously. The Texas governor did that this week when he reversed his previous pronouncements in the face of grim, irrefutable evidence and ordered his people to wear masks to tackle the swelling pandemic. Why is acting on evidence in the interest of the community so hard for some people?
Cory, “Why is acting on evidence in the interest of the community so hard for some people?”
Because we have become a selfish nation that does not concern itself about the common good but instead pockets of self-interest. We are no longer a society. We are NOT all in this together.
Why is acting on evidence in the interest of the community so hard for some people?
Because Fake Noize and drumpf have sheeple convinced up is down and reality is fake.
Believe only what Fake noize tells you and don’t trust yer lying eyes.