US state governor: Belief in eternal life makes COVID less scary

Tate Reeves, governor of Mississippi, a US state, says residents are less afraid of COVID-19 because they believe in eternal life.

Speaking at a gathering of state Republicans at a fundraiser on Thursday, Reeves said he is often asked by some friends in other areas about COVID and why it seems like persons in Mississippi are a little less scared.

“When you believe in eternal life – when you believe that living on this earth is but a blip on the screen, then you don’t have to be so scared of things,” Business Insider quoted him as saying.

“God also tells us to take necessary precautions. And we all have opportunities and abilities to do that and we should all do that. I encourage everyone to do so.”

Reeves is said to have, throughout the pandemic, criticised measures put in place to curb the spread of the infection.

He is also said to have declined to mandate the use of face masks at schools, where the infection is spreading rapidly.

In July, after the CDC issued a new guideline for those fully vaccinated to wear a mask indoors to help reduce transmission, Reeves told supporters the measure was part of a political plot.

“It reeks of political panic so as to appear they are in control,” he said.

Mississippi has recorded more new COVID-19 cases per capita than any other US state, with over 400 thousands cases according to an analysis by The New York Times.

The wave of infections in Mississippi has put 93% of the state’s ICU beds in use and 63% occupied by COVID-19 patients.