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Masks, vaccinations should be framed as ‘matter of personal responsibility,’ Polis says

By Lindsey Toomer February 20, 2022 | updated 3 years ago

As the omicron wave ebbs, state and local leaders should frame masks and vaccinations as a matter of personal responsibility, Gov. Jared Polis said Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Over the past two weeks, a number of states have eased their mask restrictions. Polis lifted Colorado’s mask mandate last year.

“As long as we’re stuck in this dichotomy of mandate versus no mandate, there’s a lot of Americans of all persuasions that react very negatively, rightfully so, to being told or forced to do something,” Polis said. “So I think it’s about winning over hearts and minds about practical steps that we can take to protect ourselves.”

Even amid the delta and omicron surges, Colorado remained on the low end of COVID-19 death rates, largely because of its high vaccination rate, Polis said. He also said wearing a medical-grade mask is “sound science” that reduces your risk of getting a variety of illnesses.

“I support masks as a matter of personal responsibility. People who choose to wear them indoors around others are adding that layer of protection,” Polis said. “But the most important thing right now is to get people triple dosed and move on with our lives.”

Preparing for an uncertain future is critical at this point in the pandemic, Polis said. That means having the ability to administer additional or new vaccine doses, stockpiling masks and other personal protective equipment and updating surge protocols and procedures for hospitals and public health.

“We need to have those really dusted off, ready to go if and when needed so that we’re better prepared should the nation or the world be stricken with another variant or resurgence of COVID-19,” Polis said.

Polis, a Democrat who is the first openly gay man to serve as governor in the U.S., told CNN that anti-LGBTQ legislation being proposed by Republicans across the country will ultimately hurt the GOP if it can’t accept “the full diversity of the American people.”

“I think what this is, it’s an example of Republican overreach on an issue that the American people have long (gotten) past,” Polis said. “The American people as a whole are completely accepting of who people love and how they live their lives, and these hard policies about saying certain youth can’t play sports and certain people aren’t allowed in certain places or micromanaging what restroom people use and mandating what they do are really frankly unAmerican.”

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Lindsey Toomer

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