States roll back COVID-19 restrictions

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey bucked a growing trend among Republican governors on Thursday and extended the state’s mask mandate through April 9. About 13 percent of Alabama’s population has received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Several other GOP-led states have opted to lift restrictions as they immunize people. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week the state is lifting its mask mandate and reopening across the board. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also ended mask requirements and relaxed health restrictions this week.

How are the numbers looking? Though the rate of decline in new cases has slowed, most states’ numbers still look much better than in the fall. A few states, including Texas and Mississippi, have seen cases begin to rise again in the last week or two. Federal health officials have argued that more people need to be vaccinated before winding down restrictions. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden was just frustrated when he said “Neanderthal thinking” was driving efforts to reopen.

Dig deeper: Read John Dawson’s report on Johnson & Johnson’s newly authorized COVID-19 vaccine.