On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said that Georgia isn’t in a place where it can lift mask mandates in schools at the moment, and that if she’s elected, “my job will be, at that time, to look at the science, to look at the situation, and to make the best decision to protect our kids.”
Host Erin Burnett asked, “So, do you think it’s time to lift these mask requirements in schools? Would you lift them if you were governor of Georgia?”
Abrams responded, “COVID hygiene is going to be a point of debate for a very long time, and we can only follow the science and follow our circumstances. Unfortunately in Georgia, we’re not at a place where that conversation is ready. Because we have one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. We have 40% of our counties without general pediatricians. And we’ve refused to expand Medicaid so so many families don’t have access to health care.”
She continued, “I believe that our job is to protect children. And I know that educators and parents have to balance protection and education, and that is a complicated issue. I think each governor has to evaluate what’s happening where they are. We have to look to the CDC, but we also have to recognize that we are shifting from pandemic to endemic, some states are going to get there faster than others. My responsibility, if I am lucky enough to be the next governor of Georgia, is to look at the science, to follow the protocols, and to set the right example. And right now, that example is that we wear masks whenever possible. But we recognize that we can’t be a hard line about this. Because situations change and we have different moments where we have to make decisions. But, in this instance, I would say that, as governor of Georgia, my job will be, at that time, to look at the science, to look at the situation, and to make the best decision to protect our kids.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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