MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday said she was “honestly shocked” to discover there are still seven states that “really aren’t doing much at all” to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Maddow, citing the National Governors Association, said Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and Wyoming had not yet implemented statewide measures in response to the public health crisis.
Maddow noted how, in some places, political leaders had issued “nonbinding recommendations” and “urgings,” which led some local school districts and businesses to take matters into their own hands and shutter of their own accord.
“No state-mandated school closures. No state-mandated limits on large gatherings,” she said. “No state mandates on the operations of businesses like bars and restaurants.” (The Oklahoma Board of Education did, in fact, vote on Monday to close public schools statewide until at least April 6 ― a development that hadn’t been noted on the National Governors Association website.)
“Because sure, why not?” Maddow added. “Make it up yourself. See how it goes. No reason to panic, right? No reason to hustle. Let’s just see how this plays out,” she added.
Check out the clip here:
This article has been updated to note that the Oklahoma Board of Education voted Monday to close the state’s public schools.