Not all governors in the South are actively working against the advice of health experts.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has been consistently and loudly pushing his constituents to get vaccinated. The governor sees two ways for Kentucky and the U.S. to get past the pandemic: More vaccinations and more masks.
During a Team Kentucky update Thursday, Beshear said the state has more people in ICU beds now than it has had at any other point in the pandemic. During an interview with CNN’s Kate Bolduan, Beshear said he’s concerned Kentucky hospitals won’t have the capabilities in two weeks to treat patients.
With more than a little frustration notable in his tone, Governor Beshear said the situation was terrifying and “entirely preventable.” He pointed out that hospital beds are being filled by people getting COVID who have refused to get vaccinated. When the subject of masks in schools came up, Beshear didn’t hold back. He’s currently fighting his own Attorney General over an executive order Beshear signed that requires masks be worn in Kentucky schools. That’s the exact opposite approach governors in Florida, Texas and Arizona are taking with regards to mask mandates. Beshear said his gubernatorial counterparts need to stop playing politics, and do the right thing for students.
He also said this:
“Sending unmasked, unvaccinated kids into a poorly ventilated classroom is like holding the world’s largest chickenpox party.”
Watch the entire exchange below. Beshear’s comment comes in around 2:25 into the video
From my inbox: @GovAndyBeshear tells @CNN‘s Kate Bolduan that “Sending unmasked, unvaccinated kids into a poorly ventilated classroom is like holding the world’s largest chickenpox party.” https://t.co/rEpFlXVa1v
— Aaron Mudd (@NewsByAaron) August 19, 2021
If you watch the entire clip you’ll hear Beshear note that COVID-19 is much worse than Chickenpox, in fact it was the third-leading cause of death in 2020. He also pointed out that his masks policy not only protects kids, but it keeps them in classes as opposed to homeschooling.