Today Ohioans thought the masks were coming off after Governor Mike DeWine announced the state would simplify COVID-19 mask restrictions. His attempt gave many hopes restrictions would be lifted. The hopes of burning masks, as well as simplifying mask mandates, were both dashed.

The feeble attempt to bring good news to Ohioans landed like a lead balloon. Masks are required in public. Period. That is what people want. Unless the governor can announce that, he needs to stay away from podiums.

Keeping the COVID Debbie-downer messaging going, Dr. Fauci continued his droning “No” message whenever asked about eating in a restaurant, taking off a mask, giving an elderly person a hug, travel, blinking or breathing, playing golf, blowing out a candle, or God knows what.

Fauci’s response when asked if it was okay for vaccinated folks to eat at restaurants shouldn’t surprise anyone.

“No it’s still no okay for the simple reason that the level of infection, the dynamics of infection in the community are still really disturbingly high. Like just yesterday there were close to 80,000 new infections, and we’ve been hanging around 60, 70, 75,000.”

If you stomached watching the whole interview, you heard him say we all must wear a mask yet did a song and dance about how he said a year ago a mask wasn’t needed. Blah blah blah….his voice is white noise.

Here is the good news. Masks are coming off!

While Ohio had their little head fake this afternoon, states are dropping their masks like a 60’s baby boomer dropping her bra into a bon fire.

Alabama dropped mask mandates last week. Arizona, Arkansas, and Indiana, among many, dropped their statewide mandates within in the last few weeks. Currently twenty-seven states still have some sort of mask mandate.

In response to the masks coming off, the Biden administration, is trying to figure out how to stop states from making such ghastly decisions. The numbers, the cases, oh my! Last Tuesday

“In a call with governors…, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky buttressed that message by citing ‘concerning’ national trends: The seven-day average of 61,000 new COVID-19 cases per day is up 13%, and the seven-day average of deaths is up 6%.”

One can picture Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, jumping in like a typical suck-up amongst her peers bouncing with enthusiasm about her recent brilliant policy proposal for Oregon. She wants masks to be permanent! Masks are not coming off anytime soon in Oregon, no sirree!

“The current order… is set to expire on May 4. Oregon health bureaucrats are now seeking to make the rules permanent. Although the rule must be adopted as a permanent rule, its purpose is to address the COVID-19 pandemic…The proposal reads. ‘Oregon [Occupational Safety and Health] intends to repeal the rule when it is no longer necessary to address the pandemic.’ No threshold for what constitutes when the mandate is ‘no longer necessary’ however, is offered in the proposal.”

Oregon’s super majority of super progressives in its legislature guarantees permanent masks for Oregonians. With such crazy laws, it assures crazy stories coming out of Oregon will be commonplace. The first of many insane stories had students running cross county, in a city known for world class track and field greats, wearing masks.

“…a handful of coaches from across the state…petitioned Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority last month to try and get them to make cross country exempt from the mask mandate….The appeal was denied.”

Sigh…literally….if you run cross country or track in Oregon…take a deep sigh. The skinny on Governor Kate Brown is that she is quick to press hard for compliance for mask mandates for everyone. Yet like most hard-left progressives, she’s been caught not wearing a mask by her own standards.

Enough about Oregon. Let’s not forget the CDC’s recent recommendations to Michigan’s request for more vaccines. Shut down, Michigan…no vaccines for you!

State’s mask policies are at AARP’s frequently updated website. Uses for such a handy list include choosing summer vacation spots, where to send the kids to college, where to send the kids for summer jobs, where to find businesses open to supply your business, and where to consider moving to.

If you live in one of the twenty-three states that have no mask mandates, take a deep sigh; a deep cleansing breath. Plan accordingly.

Feature Photo Credit: Garbage Ocean Trash Waste Pollution Plastic, by Max Pixel, Creative Commons Zero – CCO, cropped