These are the states reopening and canceling mask warrants amid coronavirus pandemic

States are increasingly rolling back coronavirus restrictions as vaccines become available and positive cases tend to decline across the country.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to make an announcement about removing all statewide orders “soon,” though no changes have yet been made.

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“We are currently working to assess when we will be able to remove all orders statewide, and we will be making announcements on that very soon,” said Abbott, who has a mask mandate at the statewide since July, told reporters. during a press conference in Corpus Christi Thursday without giving a specific date.

Abbott has issued several executive orders, in addition to the mask warrant, which restricts certain business operations if companies are based in areas with high hospitalization rates.

Positive cases of COVID-19 increased in the state in January and have been declining steadily since. About 7.4 million vaccines have been distributed in the state while 3.5 million first doses and 1.7 million second doses have been administered, according to the Houston Chronicle.

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Arkansas has lifted nearly all of its restrictions and a number of other states have already reopened completely, including Iowa, Missouri (with county-wide exceptions) and Flordia.

Republican Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson on Friday lifted most security restrictions on businesses to curb the spread of the coronavirus and said he would end a mask term next month if the test’s positivity state or hospitalizations are low.

Hutchinson announced the rollback of safety rules as he extended the public health emergency he declared last year due to the coronavirus pandemic until the end of March. The governor announced the move as he faced crackdown from some of his fellow Republicans in the legislature over the state’s anti-virus security rules.

The limits lifted include capacity limits for bars, restaurants, gymnasiums and large venues. Hutchinson has left open the possibility of reinstating the restrictions if there is a further increase in cases.

Hutchinson said the mask’s warrant will be lifted at the end of March if the state’s positivity rate drops below 10%, with at least 7,500 samples tested daily on average. If the state tests fewer samples, the mandate would end if hospitalizations are less than 750 patients.

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Arkansas recently saw a drop in new cases and hospitalizations. Arkansas had a test positivity rate of around 10% on Thursday. The state reported 522 hospital patients on Thursday due to COVID-19.

On February 5, Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds lifted all coronavirus restrictions – including a mask mandate – in the state that was in place before Thanksgiving, according to an emergency proclamation.

Reynolds has lifted all warrants related to masks, indoor and outdoor gatherings and other business-related restrictions while urging high-risk people and businesses to take the necessary precautions to stay safe.

“I strongly encourage all businesses or other employers who remain open to face-to-face transactions to take reasonable steps under the circumstances of each establishment to ensure the health of employees, customers and members of the public, including health and safety practices. social distancing, increased hygiene practices and other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19, ”the proclamation states.

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Positive cases of COVID-19 in the state increased in November after Thanksgiving and have declined since then, according to the Iowa Department of Health. More than 680,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Iowa.

In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Parson lifted all restrictions in June, including a mask warrant, while keeping a state emergency order in place, allowing counties to determine the best restrictions for their areas respective.

“It’s really amazing how far Missouri has come since March. At that time, no one knew what to expect. There was a lot of uncertainty, worry and worry,” Parson said. in a June 11 press release. “We’re here today, just over 90 days since our first case of COVID-19 in Missouri, and I’m proud to say we’ve overcome all of these challenges and more than met our Four Pillars to reopen.”

These four pillars included increased capacity and testing volume; increasing stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) through open supply chains; continuous monitoring of hospital capacity; and an improved ability to predict potential outbreaks.

Missouri has also seen a gradual decline in cases since November, after Thanksgiving, and a drop in cumulative case fatality rates since June. The state has recorded fewer than 1,000 cases per day for the past two weeks, Fox 2 St. Louis reported Thursday.

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More than 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in total, including more than 186,000 in the past week, according to the state’s health department.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis also announced in June that the state would not reimpose sweeping closures amid some of the nation’s highest COVID-19 case numbers, saying a return to lockdowns would cripple l economy without saving lives.

“We’re not going back, shutting things down,” DeSantis told reporters at the time, despite recording some of the highest COVID-19 case counts in the country.

“I don’t think that’s really what drives him,” the governor said of the businesses that remain open. “People who go to a business are not what drives it. I think when you see young people, I think it’s mostly social interactions, so it’s natural. Obviously you had a lot of. ‘different activities in different parts of the state.… So that’s just the reality. ”

DeSantis added that doomsday predictions for Florida’s coronavirus count were off base, and urged young residents to “protect the vulnerable” by distancing themselves socially and avoiding the elderly – stopping at the away from other governors, who suggested residents should generally stay at home.

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“We are open, we know who we need to protect, most of the people belonging to these young people, even if we want them to be aware of what is going on, are simply much less exposed than the people who are part of them. older age groups, ”added DeSantis.

A comparison of similar COVID-19 trends in Florida and California with some of the highest case numbers in the country, although one state is mostly closed and the other fully open. Florida’s population is just over half that of California, but the two states have reported similar case and death rates for their respective populations.

DeSantis’ popularity within the Republican Party has grown as a result of his decision not to shut down Flordia, and the state has seen an influx of new residents and even tourists amid the pandemic.

“Our kids are in school. Parents are happy with it. Our economy is growing. People are working. And they predicted an economic disaster, especially for Florida, because we are a tourist base and our tourism is not. not bad at all, ”DeSantis told Fox & Friends on Friday, adding that the Sunshine State“ was getting huge revenues without a tax hike ”.

Other states are starting to ease masked mandates and restrictions on businesses, events, etc. more.

Fifteen states, including Florida, Iowa, and Missouri, have either lifted or never implemented statewide mask warrants, leaving counties to implement the rules, Montana being the last state to do so.

Montana also lifted most restrictions on business, such as limitations on indoor gatherings, in January under the leadership of its new Republican governor, Greg Gianforte.

Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee are other states that have never put in work or have lifted the mask warrants. Arizona only requires masks in certain settings.

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Thirty-five states have relaxed at least some restrictions – such as restrictions on in-person learning and indoor dining – since last year.

States that have lifted some restrictions since 2020 are Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nebraska , Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah , Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming.

Brie Stimson and Gregg Re of The Associated Press and Fox News contributed to this report.