Newsom calls Abbott ending Texas's mask mandate "absolutely reckless"

“We’re never going to subscribe to the point of view of some other states. There was one large state today that said ‘no masks, everything goes back to normal’ in the midst of a pandemic,” Newsom told reporters in San Luis Obispo after touring a vaccination site, noting that Texas has higher test positivity and death rates than California.

Newsom also suggested that Abbott’s decision could lead to the type of resurgence that led the California governor to impose a second statewide lockdown that lasted nearly two months this winter.

“We’re a little more mindful and sober of the potency of these variants and mutations as well, more mindful and sober of the experience we had last summer where we moved forward and ultimately had to revert back and we don’t want to do that ever again,” Newsom said.