As the promise of a new pandemic looms on the horizon, Governor Lombardo has revealed that his administration will not issue mask or vaccine mandates implemented by his Democratic predecessor Governor Steve Sisolak.

During a Keystone Corporation luncheon yesterday, the Governor was asked if he would support mask mandates, to which the Governor replied, “Hell no!”

Coinciding with this public statement, Governor Lombardo’s office answered an inquiry from a constituent which notes his “vehement” disagreement with how the prior Democratic administration handled the pandemic, adding that “In Nevada, we cherish our freedom and Governor Lombardo will fiercly fight to protect it.”

As reported by The Globe, Sisolak shuttered small businesses and churches– deeming them “non essential,” overdose deaths tripled among Nevadans, and fatalities have more than doubled among the Hispanic community from 2019-2020.

Sisolak’s pandemic response included extended lockdowns of casinos and small businesses whereby 40 percent of Nevada’s small businesses shuttered and Nevada’s unemployment rate exceeded 30 percent.

In an opinion editorial by NPRI’s Robert Fellner for The Nevada Globe, Fellner outlined the devastating impacts of school closures implemented by Sisolak during the pandemic:

As bad as that is, nothing compares to the harm that Sisolak’s failed policies inflicted on children. School closures caused massive learning loss, which can have compounding deleterious effects that lead to reduced future earnings, increased poverty rate and even reduced life expectancy. Rates of mental health issues among children, including acts of intentional self-harm, have skyrocketed.

These horrific costs were imposed without any corresponding benefits. As even the Centers for Disease Control now admits, “COVID-19 transmission does not appear to be demonstrably more frequent in schools than in noneducational settings.” A more rigorous study published later by the Journal of Global Health found that “children and adolescents had lower odds of infection in educational-settings compared to community and household clusters.” In other words, school shutdowns did nothing to stop the spread of COVID.

Additionally, Democratic state legislators piggybacked off of Sisolak’s two-year emergency power grab and used an emergency session of the state legislature to fundamentally transform Nevada’s voting laws–without a single Republican vote. This past legislative session, Republicans attempted to limit a governor’s emergency power authority through SB130 and SB136, but both bills died at the hands of the hands of the Democratic majority.

While some schools and companies in other states are, once again, forcing masks on students and employees, Nevadans can be reassured that Governor Lombardo is “following the science” and will not use force or fiat against Nevadans who cherish their freedom.