The Daily - Why Democratic Governors Are Turning Against Mask Mandates

Episode Date: February 10, 2022

One by one, blue states across the United States have been rolling back their Covid-19 restrictions, going against C.D.C. guidelines that are still backed by the White House.Why are governors in states like California, Illinois and New York taking those actions? And what do they say about the shifting politics of the pandemic?Guest: Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.Have you lost a loved one during the pandemic? The Daily is working on a special episode memorializing those we have lost to the coronavirus. If you would like to share their name on the episode, please RECORD A VOICE MEMO and send it to us at [e-mail]. You can find more information and specific instructions here.Background reading: Democratic governors have been easing Covid rules in a loosely coordinated effort that is the result of months of public-health planning, back-channel discussions and political focus groups.The Biden administration said that federal masking guidance would not change for now, but officials are seeking advice from health experts on the way forward.Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. This is The Daily. This week. The era of sweeping COVID mandates seems to be over. The governors of New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut all made the announcement to end their state's in-school mask mandates. Right now, Illinois and New York are planning to end their California's indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people will soon be lifted. We have to learn how

to live with COVID as we move from a pandemic to the endemic phase of this virus. One by one, blue states across the country are rolling back their COVID restrictions, despite CDC guidelines that are still supported by the White House. My colleague, Lisa Lair, on why these governors are making that call now and what it means about the shifting politics of COVID. It's Thursday, February 10th. It's Thursday, February 10th. a pretty sharp U-turn for these states. I mean, they had some of the most restrictive COVID policies in the country. So what's going on here? Well, Sabrina, it's clear that we've entered a new

political phase in this pandemic. Part of what's changed here is the public health situation. A lot of these northeastern states, vaccination rates are high in these largely blue states. Hospitalizations and case numbers have fallen sharply from the height of the Omicron variant surge. But we're also seeing a shift overall, even in these blue places, even among Democratic voters in the political mood. And so really the best place to examine this shifted mood is New Jersey. And what's the story in New Jersey? The story in New Jersey starts in November. New Jersey was one of two states that had an off-year gubernatorial race. So that meant that

Governor Phil Murphy was up for re-election in November. And this was a race that everybody expected would be really just a cruise to re-election for him. And this was a race that everybody expected would be really just a cruise to re-election for him. It's a fairly blue state. His popularity seemed pretty high. There was no expectation that this would be a tight contest. But it ended up being a tight contest. And it really was a race that in hindsight looked much more like a toss-up. And there were two big reasons for that. One was a higher-than-expected turnout among Republican voters in the state. And the other was lower numbers of Democrats showing up at the polls. And so Governor Murphy's team, you know, after he squeaked back into office, wanted to understand

these trends better. So they started organizing a series of focus groups looking at different demographic groups across the state. So who do they talk to in the focus groups and what are they asking? So they're really trying to talk to a broad cross-section of voters, largely Democrats, independents, but rural voters, suburban voters, white working class voters, voters of color. And a big thing they want to know is how all these voters are perceiving the governor's handling of COVID. And where public opinion is in the state, particularly when it comes to these public health restrictions, it's important here to keep in mind that New Jersey has had some of the toughest measures of any state in the country.

They're one of 11 states that still requires masking in schools. And at the same time, the state has some of the highest vaccination rates in the country. They're one of 11 states that still requires masking in schools. And at the same time, the state has some of the highest vaccination rates in the country. And Lisa, what do they find? They find really three big things. The first is they're taken aback by how emotional these focus groups were. You know, a lot of times when you sit on these focus groups, people are talking about taxes or they're talking about maybe foreign policy, things that are not so personal. These were really personal. People were emotional.

They were talking about life events they missed, about time they thought they lost, about people who had passed away. And they were really quite moving in some ways. Right. The second was a sense of frustration that the people are tired of life being as it is. They're tired of these restrictions. They're eager to return to normal or to some sense of normal in terms of their kids schooling, in terms of being able to socialize, in terms of being able to go out to events and restaurants. And the third is that there was a deep sense of pessimism that people feel like even if

they're not quite as worried about their own health and the health of their loved ones as they were, you know, two or so years ago, they don't really see a point where things are going to get better, where they're going to be able to resume this normal life that they so desperately want. So there really is this deep sense of pessimism among New Jersey voters. deep sense of pessimism among New Jersey voters. So basically they find that people are just really fed up and there's this total exhaustion with COVID. And it sounds like all of the loss and the emotion is just really kind of streaming into frustrations with these restrictions at this point. Right. And a breaking point really is schools.

And that's something that's been so disruptive for so many families over this almost two-year period. New Jersey schools were closed a long time in many counties. And even now that they're largely open in the state, school is not normal. You know, kids are dealing with learning loss. They're trying to catch up. Mental health issues for kids has really exploded. So parents are dealing with those two issues. And even the day-to-day sort of school life for kids isn't normal. There's no assemblies, there's no field trips, and there's really still, even though schools are open, there's still no regularity and there's no predictability. And that's made

a lot of families' economic difficulties harder. And at the same time, there's more data coming out about the impacts of things like masking in schools. And there's more research showing that maybe masking in schools isn't all that great for kids. And there hasn't been a lot of in-school transmission of the virus. So some public health experts are starting to ask the question of whether the public health benefit of keeping kids masked in terms of the virus spreading outweighs the impact it has on their development and on their learning. Got it. So Murphy's office is taking all this in sort of where the public health situation is, where the educational research is, and of course, where parents' economic situation and attitudes are. And they start circling schools as a possible point of change. And they start talking to their counterparts in neighboring

states about whether something could happen on schools. Okay, so after almost losing an election and coming to the conclusion that a lot of the blowback was to policies and restrictions still in place over COVID, Phil Murphy in New Jersey is really realizing that he needs to embrace more open policies, maybe kind of like what we're seeing in red states. Right. But I think the governor and his aides feel very strongly that everything has to be guided by where the public health is, that this cannot be a political decision. And so they've been tracking all these metrics, case numbers, hospitalizations, vaccine rates, the entire pandemic, and they're not going to make a decision that isn't grounded in that data. So what does Murphy's office do?

Well, they really don't do anything because then Omicron hits. Right. So they don't feel that they can start pulling back on some of these restrictions, pulling back on mask mandates when hospitals are overrun, when case numbers are skyrocketing, when testing lines are circling the block and tests are unavailable to people. So they don't really see that they have any option to start loosening restrictions, even though people may want to see those restrictions loosened. So it sounds like they're kind of in a holding pattern, really. I mean, they can't shift policy in the middle of a massive COVID wave.

Yeah, that's exactly right. There's this month-long period where the state is dealing with this onslaught of cases. But then they get to mid-January, and that's when they start to see cases going down again. And a lot of their neighboring states start to see the same. And that begins raising this question once again of could they be approaching this moment when they could begin to loosen some of these restrictions and give their voters really what they're asking for. asking for. We'll be right back. So Lisa, once the Omicron wave starts to recede in the Northeast, what if Phil Murphy and these other blue state governors decide to do?

Well, Governor Murphy and a lot of these other Northeastern governors see this narrow window because public health conditions are changing. Cases are dropping, hospitalizations are dropping, and we're heading towards the spring and the summer when people are socializing more outdoors. But of course, they know that the pandemic has been nothing if not unpredictable, and conditions can change at any moment. So it seems like this could be the moment to loosen some of these restrictions, particularly around masking in schools. But now they have this other political problem because it doesn't seem

like the federal guidance from the CDC is headed in the same direction. So what happens? So there's this fascinating moment that happens last week where there are dozens of governors who are in Washington for their annual meeting of the National Governors Association. And as is customary, they go to the White House for a meeting with President Biden in the East Room. And the meeting is largely behind closed doors. And then afterwards, when you say move away, it's time to move away from the pandemic. Can you tell us a little bit more about what you mean by that? Governor Asa Hutchinson, who's the Republican head of the group, and the incoming vice chair of the group, who happens to

be a Phil Murphy, come out and spill the beans to reporters about what happened in that meeting. And they lay out really clearly their big ask of the administration. But we need to have the guidelines very clear as to how you actually structurally move from the pandemic state of things to an endemic where you're managing this virus like you would other illnesses in our country. And we've got to work with the CDC and our health departments to define those standards very clearly. And what they want is guidelines for how to move their states from a crisis pandemic footing to learning to live with the pandemic, really more of an endemic kind of situation. Yeah, I just would say very briefly, not a good discussion about what is the road from

pandemic to endemic look like and how do we keep score? What is that going to look like? I'm going for I thought the discussions were really good. And I thought there was broad agreement that that's the task at hand before us, other than obviously keeping people healthy and alive. So it sounds like they're saying we need to move from emergency mode to, you know, we have to live with this thing every day. Let's get on with it mode. That's exactly right. How do you move from crisis footing to sort of an acceptance footing that this is something that people in their states are going to be living with for a long time? And what is the best federal guidance on how to deal with the public health measures in that kind of environment.

But the White House really doesn't make a move. They don't hear from the White House and there isn't any public action by President Biden in terms of changing the public health guidance on a federal level. And so a week later on Monday, Murphy decides to make a move. He comes out first thing Monday morning and says that New Jersey will be dropping their statewide mask mandates for schools. Oh, wow. So he finally does it. He finally does it. And after his plans became public, you see this domino effect where

Democratic leaders, largely in northeastern states, but also in Oregon and California, all follow suit over the next couple of days. And, you know, the plans northeastern states, but also in Oregon and California, all follow suit over the next couple days. And, you know, the plans vary. Some states are talking about masking mandates in schools. Some are talking about things like universal indoor mask mandates. The timing of all these things, when these mandates will expire, varies. But the general political message is the same. These governors believe it is time to move on. What's happening here is that bluer states are catching up to where Democratic governors and swing states have been. We saw places like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Colorado drop these kinds of statewide mandates earlier.

And now is that blue states are doing the same thing. And that is a significant political shift. It reflects really a shift in public opinion, even in some of the most democratic areas in the country. Right. Like the wind has changed direction and these guys are the last to catch the sail. Exactly. That people are starting to feel differently about the pandemic and what they're worried about. And they're really eager

to get back to their normal pre-COVID lives. But it also sounds like at its core, it's a pretty big break with the White House, right? I mean, from governors in President Biden's same party. So what does the administration do? How does it respond? Well, at first, the administration basically comes out and says that their responsibility as the federal government is to rely on the data and the science and that they understand, you know, that the polling is that the public is tired of the disease, but they're not going to go there. Good morning and thanks for joining us. That message gets softened a little bit on Wednesday. We know that in different areas of the country, cases have

fallen more significantly, and this will lead to different approaches and different timing. The White House's COVID task force has a public meeting. And we will continue to coordinate closely with state and local leaders. And they said that they're comfortable with local decisions, but basically that the federal government is not there yet. But at this time, we continue to recommend masking in areas of high and substantial transmission. That's much of the country right now in public indoor settings. I mean, they have been having meetings with outside experts that are aimed at sort of drafting an updated pandemic playbook that would address, you know, how to relax some of these measures like mask wearing. We are working on that guidance. We are working on, you know, following the trends for the moment. What I will say, though, is, you know, our hospitalizations are still high.

Our death rates are still high. So as we work towards that and as we are encouraged by the current trends, we are not there yet. But it's pretty clear that they're not there yet. Next question, please. But that really leaves people in a really difficult position. I thought one of the most striking questions that was asked in that briefing. And when it comes to masking, should people be listening to the CDC or listening to their governors? Is whether, you know, Americans should be listening to their governors or the CDC.

And the White House really didn't have a clear answer for that. Caitlin, we've always said that these decisions are going to have to be made at the local level. But what that all means is that the CDC is sticking with their current guidelines, which is that for all teachers, students, staff in K-12 schools, that means masking indoors regardless of vaccination status. And beyond schools, it means masking indoors in public spaces, in high transmission areas, which according to the CDC map is the vast majority of the country. So their recommendations are still pretty heavy on masking. But why is Biden holding that line? Because you have the states presenting this research saying it's safe to pull some of these mandates back and then some public health experts agreeing with them. So what's the calculation he's making?

a major part of his argument against former President Trump, that he would follow the science, he would listen to the CDC, and really have his policy be governed by what public health experts are saying. And what the CDC is saying is that hospitalization and death rates are still high. And nationally, they are. There's 2,600 people or so dying of COVID a day, and that is really high. And from where they sit, they are not ready to dial back any of these restrictions. Got it. And there's this other political calculation that's happening too, which is that over the summer in July, the administration all but declared victory on this virus. And then that victory didn't come. The Delta variant took over, and you had this period in September

where people really expected some kind of return to normalcy. Maybe they'd be back in the office, their kids would be back in school and that didn't happen. And you really saw the president's numbers start to crater at that point and hit the kind of lows

that he's still dealing with now. So I do think there is a sense in the White House, among some Democrats close to the White House, among some Democrats close to the White House, that it's politically risky to declare victory too soon, given the uncertainty of a pandemic. Right. But Lisa, not changing the policy, is it this risky for Biden too? I mean, he's also facing these same voters who themselves want the restrictions lifted. Certainly some Democratic strategists and Democratic candidates see it as risky.

We saw on Wednesday the head of the House campaign committee came out and said that he fully supports the decision to roll back mask mandates, that it's time to, quote, give people their lives back. And when you talk to some political strategists, what they'll say is Biden is not only opening up his party to attacks that Republicans are very eager and have been making, you know, saying that the party isn't listening to people and is overly restrictive and also is hypocritical, pointing out pictures of people like Stacey Abrams unmasked in front of a classroom of masked students, but that they're missing an opportunity for the president to take a victory lap, to say essentially that the country is in this place where these restrictions can be rolled back because of what he did and how he got people vaccinated. So it sounds like Biden is kind of stuck here. He staked his campaign on following the science, right, on trusting his public health people.

So it sounds like he's not likely to come out against the CDC, at least not yet, even if that's a politically risky position for him to take. Well, actually, Biden is finding himself in a bit of the same position as former President Trump found himself at the beginning of the pandemic, which really is a great irony of the political phase we're in now. Then, of course, the Democratic governors were breaking with a Republican White House to impose more severe restrictions. Now they're breaking with a White House from their own party to lessen restrictions. So the public health situation is completely different, but the political tension between the federal government and what's happening in the states remains the same. Right. It's that the Democrats are going their own way again. But now against one of their own. Lisa, thank you.

Thanks for having me. We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. In Canada, protests against pandemic regulations that began last month continued to paralyze the capital, Ottawa. On Wednesday, truckers and their supporters blocked a third bridge along the border between Canada and the United States. The blockades cut off important supply routes, causing work stoppages at at least one car factory. The protests started when truckers opposing Canada's tough mandates descended on the Capitol, honking their horns and defying the police.

They have expanded to become a rallying cry for some far-right groups. It has to stop. The people of Ottawa don't deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods. They don't deserve to be confronted with the inherent violence of a swastika flying on a street corner or a Confederate flag. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the protesters were blocking Canada's economy and its democracy. This pandemic has sucked for all Canadians. But Canadians know the way to get through it is to continue listening to science,

continuing to lean on each other, continuing to be there for each other. Today's episode was produced by Astha Chaturvedi and Rachel Quester, with help from Diana Nguyen. It was edited by MJ Davis-Lynn and Patricia Willans, contains original music by Brad Fisher, Marian Lozano, and Dan Powell, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brumberg and Ben Landsberg of Wonderly.

That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. See you tomorrow.