Republican leaders call on Northam to rescind mask mandate

Virginia Republican Party leaders are calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to adhere to updated guidance on masks issued by the CDC issued yesterday.

“Yesterday’s announcement by the Centers for Disease Control confirms what the science has indicated for months: there is no benefit in making those who are fully vaccinated wear a mask, either indoors or outdoors,” Senate Republican Leader Thomas K. Norment, Jr. (R-James City), Caucus Chairman Ryan T. McDougle (R-Hanover), and Caucus Co-Chairman Mark D. Obenshain (R-Rockingham) said in a joint statement issued on Friday.

“We call on Gov. Northam to conform the Commonwealth’s guidance to that of the CDC’s by immediately rescinding his mask mandate. It’s time for Virginians who have been vaccinated to breathe freely once again,” the senators said.

“The Republican Party of Virginia calls on Ralph Northam to immediately rescind Virginia’s mask mandate,” PRV Chairman Rich Anderson said. “It’s time for Virginians who have been fully vaccinated to breathe freely once again, and it’s time to permit Virginia schools, businesses, and economy to begin the long road to recovery after Democrat mismanagement over the last year.”

The new guidelines were announced Thursday by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC.

“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” Walensky said. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.”

Northam told FOX5 in Washington, D.C., that his office is expected to issue statewide mask guidance sometime today.

“I don’t have plans on extending the state of emergency order, but we will need to make some modifications – probably through an executive order – to allow people to wear a mask that perhaps haven’t been vaccinated or still feel the need to,” Northam told FOX 5.

Interesting verbiage there from the governor – that an executive order would be needed to allow people who want to continue wearing a mask in public to do so.

Seems that things are going in the direction of undoing the mask mandate already.

Among other things, that would take another political issue off the table.

Credit to Republicans for milking this one last bit out of the masks saga.

Story by Chris Graham