Hurricane-prone states The day in pictures Get the USA TODAY app Start the day smarter ☀️ U.S. Elections Sports Entertainment Life Money Tech Travel Opinion ONLY AT USA TODAY: Newsletters For Subscribers From the Archives Crossword eNewspaper Magazines Investigations Podcasts Video Humankind Just Curious Best-selling Booklist 24/7 Live Stream Legals OUR PORTFOLIO: 10Best USAT Wine Club Online Sports Betting Online Casino Reviewed Homefront Blueprint Southern Kitchen Best Auto Insurance Best Pet Insurance Best Travel Insurance Best Credit Cards Best CD Rates Best Personal Loans Home Internet FACT CHECK fact-checking Add Topic # Fact check: Some states with GOP governors did have mask mandates ![\\"Portrait](\\"/gcdn/presto/2020/07/14/USAT/d80f255e-5619-4d19-b50e-3815cde89fb4-Cox_chelsey.jpg?crop=2839,2839,x0,y585&width=48&height=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\") Chelsey Cox USA TODAY ![\\"\\"](\\"/gcdn/presto/2020/10/01/USAT/cd3cd99e-201d-4ce1-9166-50237bee5496-Abbott.jpg?crop=5183,2916,x0,y263&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\"/) ## The claim: All 16 states without a mask mandate are governed by Republicans The governors of several states have announced changes in COVID-19 restrictions since the Biden administration\'s vaccination plan spurred a mass vaccination effort, USA TODAY has reported. In a decision President Joe Biden called \"a big mistake,\" five states have rolled back mask mandates in the past month, according to USA TODAY. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the wearing of face masks to slow the spread of the virus that has killed more than 530,000 Americans. The governors who have made the decision to relax mask regulations are all Republicans, according to a viral Facebook claim. The meme \"16 States With No Mask Mandates\" lists Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas, with their corresponding governors, all with \"R\'s\" next to their names. \"What do all of these have in common?\" the meme states. The Facebook post, dated March 4, is one of several similar posts on the site. USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment. Fact check:Michigan has no executive order for masks, but it does have a mask mandate ## What happened to Texas\' mask mandate? Texas Gov. Greg Abbott\'s issuance of an executive order lifting a statewide mask mandate and reopening businesses at full capacity made headlines; USA TODAY reported on the order on March 4. More than 43,000 Texans have died of COVID-19. As of March 3, about 8% of the U.S. population had been vaccinated, according to USA TODAY. In a statement released March 2, Abbott, a Republican, said Texas has the necessary medical advancements needed to protect its residents from the virus. \"We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent. Make no mistake, COVID-19 has not disappeared, but it is clear from the recoveries, vaccinations, reduced hospitalizations, and safe practices that Texans are using that state mandates are no longer needed,\" he said, according to the statement. Abbott is not the only governor to relax or rescind mask requirements, nor is he the first. The Facebook posts accurately list the 15 other states\' governors that either lifted a mask mandate or never adopted one, according to USA TODAY, but the reasons vary. ## Where else are mandates being lifted? ## Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy never issued a statewide mask mandate, according to a March 10 news release, but he signed an executive order last November amid a COVID-19 case surge that required masks and social distancing for employees and visitors at state work sites, according to the office of the governor. Austin Quinn-Davidson, acting mayor of Anchorage, adopted a mask mandate in his city, according to a March 4 news release. ## Arizona Arizona never underwent a statewide shutdown, according to a March 4 news release from the office of Gov. Doug Ducey. Ducey, a Republican, issued an executive order that extended mask protocols for businesses and allowed occupancy limitations to expire, according to the press release. The cities of Avondale, Peoria, Glendale, Scottsdale and Tempe have mask mandates in place for businesses, The Arizona Republic reported in February. ## Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order last March declaring a state of emergency in the state of Florida, according to the office of the governor. The order referenced the wearing of face masks under the advisement of a health care provider or public health official, but DeSantis never issued a statewide mask mandate. Some local governments instituted regional masks requirements, according to local affiliate Fox 13 Tampa Bay. ## Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp strongly encouraged all Georgia residents to \"wear face coverings as practicable while outside their homes or place of residence, except when eating, drinking or exercising outdoors\" in an Aug. 15 revision of an executive order issued last March. But Georgia does not have a statewide mask mandate. Kemp is a Republican. ## Idaho Masks are required in long-term care facilities throughout the state, according to the office of Gov. Brad Little, but Idaho has not adopted a statewide mandate. Face coverings are \"strongly recommended,\" per a Feb. 2 news release. Little is a Republican. ## Iowa Iowa does not have a statewide mask mandate. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds lifted mask requirements and operational capacity limits for businesses in February. Select cities and counties throughout the state upheld their mask mandates, according to local NBC affiliate KWWL. ## Mississippi Mississippi Gov. Tates Reeves\' executive order to rescind masks requirements and permit businesses to resume full operations is effective from March 3-31, \"unless otherwise modified, rescinded or extended,\" the Clarion Ledger reported. Reeves is a Republican. Some cities in Mississippi retained mask mandates. ## Missouri Gov. Michael Parson, a Republican, advocated for local government control over mask mandates instead of a statewide requirement as early as November, local NBC affiliate KSDK reported. Various cities and counties have adopted requirements, the Springfield News-Leader reported March 6. ## Montana Montana\'s statewide mask mandate expired Feb. 10, according to a directive issued by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, per a Feb. 12 statement. An executive order signed on the same day offers a liability shield to businesses, nonprofits and other entities that \"protect their workers, their customers, and their clients from the spread of COVID-19,\" according to the statement. ## Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts announced late last year that he doesn\'t \"think mask mandates are appropriate,\" the Lincoln Journal Star reported Dec. 23. Masks are required in salons and barbershops, at massage therapy, bowling alleys, pool halls, \"body art establishments\" and any other business where staff and patrons are within 6 feet of each other for at least 15 minutes, according to a Nov. 11 column released by the governor\'s office. Local governments require masks for their citizens and patrons, The Associated Press reported last November. ## North Dakota Gov. Doug Burnum, a Republican, ordered a mask mandate throughout the state last November, and, despite encouraging residents to wear masks in public, he allowed the order to expire in January, the Grand Forks Herald reported. Several of the state\'s larger cities retained their mandates, the paper reported in February. ## Oklahoma Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has not ordered a statewide mask mandate, and announced plans to roll back remaining COVID-19 restrictions, including masks requirements in state buildings, this month, The Oklahoman reported March 11. Tulsa still has an effective mask mandate; Oklahoma City\'s will remain in place until April 30, according to the paper. ## South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order lifting mask requirements in state buildings and restaurants on March 5, according to the office of the governor. The order did not prohibit local governments from retaining their mask requirements. More than 40% of South Carolina residents live in areas that require masks, according to The State. ## South Dakota According to a government website,\"Masks have never been required, but South Dakotans are encouraged to continue to consider CDC guidance and use.\" South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is a Republican. ## Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee granted mayors in 89 Tennessee counties the power to enforce mask mandates in the event of a COVID-19 case surge, according to a July 3 news release. There is no statewide mask requirement. A state- sanctioned \"TN Strong Mask Movement\" partnered an economic recovery group with flagship brands to \"distribute over 300,000 free or low-cost cloth face coverings across the Volunteer State,\" according to Tennessee business guidance. ## Our rating: Missing context We rate this claim MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research, because without additional information, it could be misleading. A Facebook post accurately lists 16 states without statewide mask mandates, along with their Republican governors. But the claim did not include certain conditional mandates, such as mask requirements adopted and upheld by local governments. Some states had mask mandates that expired; the meme doesn\'t account for those instances. ## Our fact-check sources: * USA TODAY, March 5, \"Texas isn\'t alone. These 15 states also do not currently have a statewide mask mandate.\" * USA TODAY, March 4, \"Five states are rolling back mask mandates. More could be on the way. Here\'s what it could mean for all of us.\" * USA TODAY, March 3, \"Joe Biden calls it \'a big mistake\' for states to lift mask mandates; North Dakota has nation\'s worst virus rate: Latest COVID-19 updates\" * Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, July 14, 2020, \"CDC calls on Americans to wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread\" * Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, accessed March 15, \"COVID Data Tracker\" * Office of the Texas Governor Greg Abbott, March 2, \"Governor Abbott Lifts Mask Mandate, Opens Texas 100 Percent\" * Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy, March 10, \"Alaska leads the nation in pandemic response\" * Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy, Nov.12, 2020,: \"Governor Dunleavy Urges Alaskans to Take Immediate Action to Slow COVID-19\" * News 7 KWWL, Feb. 8: \"LIST: Cities and counties keeping mask mandates\" * State of Iowa, Feb. 5: \"Proclamation of Disaster Emergency\" * State of Iowa, March 5: \"Proclamation of Disaster Emergency\" * Idaho Office of the Governor, Feb. 2: \"Idaho advances to Stage 3 as COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations decline\" * The State of Georgia, Aug. 15, 2020: \"Executive Order: Empowering a Health Georgia\" * State of Florida Office of the Governor, accessed March 12: \"Executive Order Number 20-52\" * Fox 13 Tampa Bay, Feb. 18: \"Challenge to Florida mask mandate heads to state Supreme Court\" * AZ Central, Feb. 15: \"Bill would give Arizona businesses a choice on enforcing mask mandates\" * Office of the Governor Doug Ducey, March 5, 2021: \"Governor Ducey Announces Next Phase Of Business And Safety Protocols\" * Municipality of Anchorage, March 4: \"Acting Mayor Issues Emergency Order EO-19 \"Make it a Safe Spring\"\" * Office of Governor Tate Reeves, accessed Marc 12: \"Governor Tate Reeves\" * KSDK, Nov. 19, 2020: \"Missouri \'state of emergency\' over COVID-19 extended into 2021\" * Springfield News-Leader, March 6: \"Which Missouri cities and counties still have COVID-19 mask mandates?\" * Clarion Ledger, March 4: \"\'Premature and reckless\': Mayors in some MS cities continue mask mandate after governor lifts order\" * Lincoln Journal Star, Dec. 23, 2020: \"Ricketts says no mask mandate, readies communications campaign\" * Office of Governor Pete Ricketts, Nov. 11, 2020, \"Protect Our Hospitals\" * North Dakota Office of the Governor, Nov. 13, 2020, \"Burgum announces new requirements for businesses, gatherings and masks, delays winter activities to slow spread of COVID-19\" * Grand Forks Herald, Jan. 15, \"North Dakota\'s statewide mask mandate will expire next week, Burgum says\" * Grand Forks Herald, Feb. 22, \"North Dakota House advances bill barring government from mandating masks\" * The Oklahoman, March 1,: \"Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to lift coronavirus restrictions, despite CDC warnings\" * The State, Jan. 23, \"Biden issued new mask mandates. Here’s what SC residents need to know\" * State of South Carolina Executive Department, March 5, \"Executive Order No. 2021-12\" * COVID-19 in South Dakota, accessed March 15, \"Do I have to keep wearing a mask when I am in public?\" * Republican Governors Association, accessed March 15, \"2021 State of Party Control\" * State of Montana Newsroom, accessed March 15, \"GOVERNOR GIANFORTE ISSUES NEW DIRECTIVES, EXECUTIVE ORDER\" * Tennessee Office of the Governor, July 3, 2020, \"Gov. Lee Grants Mayors in 89 Counties Authority to Issue COVID-19 Mask Requirements\" * Tennessee Office of the Governor, accessed March 15, \"TN Strong Mask Movement\" Contributing: The Associated Press Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. Featured Weekly Ad About Us Newsroom Staff Ethical Principles Responsible Disclosure Request a Correction Press Releases Accessibility Sitemap Subscription Terms & Conditions Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your Privacy Choices Contact Us Help Center Manage Account Give Feedback Get Home Delivery eNewspaper USA TODAY Shop USA TODAY Print Editions Licensing & Reprints Advertise With Us Advertising Acceptance Policy Careers Internships Support Local Business News Tips Submitting letters to the editor Podcasts Newsletters Mobile Apps Facebook X Instagram LinkedIn Threads YouTube Reddit Flipboard 10Best USAT Wine Club Online Sports Betting Online Casino Reviewed Best- selling Booklist Southern Kitchen Jobs Sports Betting Sports Weekly Studio Gannett Classifieds Homefront Home Internet Blueprint Auto Insurance Pet Insurance Travel Insurance Credit Cards Banking Personal Loans LLC Formation Payroll Software © 2024 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC.
All 16 states without a mask mandate are governed by Republicans