Downie: When states unmask, we know what happens next

A year ago this week, Mississippi recorded its first confirmed case of covid-19. The state’s new governor, Tate Reeves (R), seemed unconcerned: Rather than issue stay-at-home orders or other statewide mitigation measures, he took a family trip to Europe and urged Mississippians to trust in the “power of prayer.” By the end of the month, the state had the highest hospitalization rate in the country. Then, in August, after thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths, Reeves issued a statewide mask mandate — only to lift it again less than two months later.