MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan suggested expanding the Supreme Court in a tweet outlining his position on taking "dire emergency steps" when it comes to COVID-19

"Keep mask mandates — especially in schools. Keep vaccine mandates — where possible. Bring in a damn vaccine mandate for domestic air travel via EO. Sen out more free high-quality masks & rapid tests on a monthly basis. Tie ‘opening up’ to booster uptake. Expand the Supreme Court," Hasan wrote in a Saturday tweet.  

Hasan responded to a tweet from author and Atlantic writer Tom Nichols. Nichols asked Hasan to elaborate on his position, and whether he supported taking "truly dire emergency steps." 

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Nichols responded to Hasan's suggestions, saying that he agreed, but not with keeping mask mandates in schools or with expanding on the Supreme Court. Hasan said that the "first and the last" suggestions were the most important.

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Students arrive for the first day of school at Sessums Elementary School in Riverview, Florida, on Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Several political personalities and commentators took to Twitter to criticize Hasan's position. 

Real Clear Politics founder and CEO Tom Bevan asked what expanding the court has to do with public health. 

BLUE STATES DROPPING STUDENT MASK MANDATES. IS THAT MOVE OVERDUE?

"Democrats midterm messaging," Nathan Brand, Deputy Communications Director for the GOP, said. 

Several states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington state have all announced plans to loosen COVID-19 masking requirements.   

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It was back to school for some students at Harvest Best Academy in Minneapolis, but with masks, plastic barriers and other new precautions in place on Sept. 8, 2020. (David Joles/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Connecticut announced that they would be lifting the mask requirement in schools and childcare facilities on Feb. 28. California and New York also presented plans to lift the indoor-mask mandate, but will keep the face-covering requirement for students in place for now. 

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The state of Washington plans to end its outdoor mask mandate, but both an indoor mandate and a school masking requirement will remain in effect. 

SEATTLE, WA - MARCH 16: Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, joined by King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan hold a press conference to provide details on a temporary statewide shutdown of restaurants, bars, and entertainment and recreational facilities to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, on March 16, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Inslee declared a state of emergency in response to new cases of COVID-19 earlier this month.

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee holds a press conference on COVID restrictions in Seattle on March 16, 2020.  (Elaine Thompson - Pool/Getty Images)

"Today is not the day to lift all of the masking requirements," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, D., said. "It will be, and when we can do this, it is no longer a matter of 'if,' it is a question of 'when.'"

The governor said he hopes to have an update on the indoor masking requirements next week.