Polis: People Should Be Able to ‘Make Their Own Decisions’ about Level of COVID Risk They’re Okay with

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) commented on states lifting their mask mandates by stating that “people should be empowered to make their own decisions about the risk level they’re comfortable with and the lives they want to live.”

Polis said, [relevant remarks begin around 1:25] “Obviously, every state’s rolling them back at some point. And Colorado was last year. We have not had higher rates than many of our neighboring states that have had mask requirements. I think here — and people are smart enough to understand this, masks do provide protection at the individual level. And you know what, my parents are 77. My mom has respiratory issues. They wear masks when they’re out and when there’s high levels of infection. I don’t, unless it’s required in a certain area. Because I’ve been triple-protected and I’m not too worried about it. So, people should be empowered to make their own decisions about the risk level they’re comfortable with and the lives they want to live.”

He added that the Omicron variant is “less virulent and less deadly than Delta, especially if you’ve gotten your three vaccines, and to a lesser extent, if you’ve gotten your two, you don’t have a lot to worry about. You might be out for three or four days. You might be under the weather. A few people get very sick. But, in the scheme of things, we need to empower people with real information they can trust to make the decisions that work for them in their own lives.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett