Colorado Governor Jared Polis has had it with the COVID emergency. In a recent interview, the announced that the COVID emergency is over, at least in his state, and that he will no longer implement another statewide mask mandate in response to the spread of the virus' Omicron variant.
The Governor argued that people have "had more than enough opportunity to get vaccinated," and that if people still haven't gotten the jab, "it's really your own darn fault."
"Those who get sick, it's almost entirely their own darn fault," Gov. Polis told Colorado Public Radio on Friday. "I don't want to say that nobody [will get the virus if they're] vaccinated, but it's very rare...Eighty-four percent of the people in our hospitals are unvaccinated, and they absolutely had every chance to get vaccinated."
Gov. Polis remarked that those who remain unvaccinated "made a deliberate decision not to get vaccinated." The 46-year-old Boulder native underscored the need to get vaccinated and get the booster shot six months after their fourth dose because "The data shows it's important and very likely even more so with this Omicron variant."
He then added that the COVID emergency is finally over.
"The emergency is over," Gov. Polis declared, as reported by The Blaze. "Public health [officials] don't get to tell people what to wear; that's just not their job."
Gov. Polis argued that while public health officials recommend wearing a mask because it helps curb the spread of the flu and other airborne diseases, it is not their place to "tell people what to wear." He argued,
"That's not something that you require. You don't tell people what to wear. You don't tell people to wear a jacket when they go out in winter and force them to [wear it]. If they get frostbite, it's their own darn fault."
As per the New York Post, Gov. Polis said that while he respects people's choice to refuse to get vaccinated, it would be their fault if they eventually end up in the hospital with COVID. He attributed vaccine hesitancy in his state to "alternate misinformation universe," in which some people "believe there is no COVID," or that "the vaccine doesn't work." He claimed that it was difficult to penetrate "their own bubble" of misinformation, so he would rather just issue a warning.
According to the latest data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, there has been a 62 point drop in the seven-day moving average of cases reported with 1,778 and a five point drop in the seven-day moving average of new hospitalizations with 130. The state also recorded a 6.34% positivity rate.
Data also showed that 68.8% of all Colorado citizens aged five and up have been fully vaccinated against COVID, amounting to 3,739,632 Americans. 75.8% of all Colorado citizens at least 18 years old and above have been fully vaccinated, while 87.3% of all Colorado citizens aged 65 and above have been fully vaccinated against COVID.
