Editor,

Let’s be clear: Mandates remove choice. Rescinded mandates simply return choice. In this case, Governor Youngkin restored the ability for parents to make health decisions on behalf of their children. This is where the choice belongs. Governor Northam, on the other hand, instituted a universal mandate for all K-12 schools, tying parents’ hands and ensuring that kids continued to learn in an impaired, incomplete, and unbalanced environment.

Language matters, Mr. Benton. Anyone in this city can still wear masks anytime and anywhere, ad infinitum, including students, school administration and staff.

Here’s a question for you: Why is it that states like California and New York, the most restricted and mandated in the country, are hemorrhaging residents to those states, like Florida and Texas, with the most relaxed Covid rules? One congresswoman from the Empire State recently had no trouble at all vacationing in the free, unmandated Sunshine State. Curious.

Adrienne Varner
Falls Church