Democrat Gov. Jared Polis said the COVID-19 emergency is “over.” The governor of Colorado declared he would not implement another statewide mask mandate due to the Omicron variant.
“Everybody had more than enough opportunity to get vaccinated,” Polis told Colorado Public Radio. “Hopefully it’s been at your pharmacy, your grocery store, a bus near you, big events. At this point, if you haven’t been vaccinated, it’s really your own darn fault.”
Polis added it is “almost entirely” those who get sick own fault.
“I don’t want to say that nobody [will get the virus if they’re] vaccinated, but it’s very rare,” he said. “Just to put it in perspective, of the about 1,400 people hospitalized, less than 200 are vaccinated.”
Polis added he supports local jurisdictions that decide to institute their own mandates, but he doesn’t want the state involved.
“The emergency is over,” he said. “You know, public health [officials] don’t get to tell people what to wear; that’s just not their job. Public health [officials] would say to always wear a mask because it decreases flu and decreases [other airborne illnesses]. But 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.”
