it, but it's not stopping people from getting breakthrough infections. so i think the messaging was not clear with either administration. and i think that's one of the ways we have been successful in our state, is with clear, direct messaging that people can believe in. and listen to. and that's been a problem all over the map. >> governor bashear, i'm curious on your thoughts on the biden task force and your metric, if you hit the number, mask mandate triggers. if you're below the number of infection, no. why has it been hard to just create a statistical line here? we know when a tropical storm becomes a hurricane because you measure the wind speed. why has that been difficult with covid? >> well, it has been difficult, and it shouldn't be because it's just basic science. and our health care providers have been wearing masks for decades. why? to prevent infection in different areas. i think this is a test of our