The state of Texas has become the first in the United States to repeal the COVID-19 mask requirement
The state of Texas has become the first in the United States to repeal the COVID-19 mask requirement
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Governor Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that Texas will no longer require the use of masks, making it the largest state to do so. Masks are one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The news shook doctors and city leaders in Texas, where the virus has killed over 43,000 people, who said they are now bracing for another deadly outbreak. According to one Houston hospital executive, he informed his staff that they would require additional personnel and ventilators.

This week, federal health officials issued an urgent warning to states, stating that the pandemic is far from over.

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Abbott, a Republican, has been chastised by his own party in America’s most populous red state over the statewide mask mandate, which was enacted eight months ago, as well as business occupancy restrictions, which Texas will repeal next week. Even during the pandemic’s worst outbreaks, the mask order was only sporadically enforced.

“Removing statewide mandates does not eliminate personal responsibility,” Abbott said, speaking from a crowded Lubbock restaurant where several people were not wearing masks.

He explained, “It’s just that state mandates aren’t needed anymore.”

On March 10, the repeals will take effect.

The full ramifications of Texas’ decision were only now becoming clear. Target, one of the country’s largest retailers, announced that customers in Texas would be required to wear masks. The NBA’s Dallas Mavericks’ owner, Mark Cuban, said he had no immediate plans to change the fan limits at the American Airlines Center, which has drawn about 3,000 fans so far this season.

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Restaurant owners began debating whether they, too, would loosen COVID-19 safeguards in their nearly fully open dining rooms. Administrators scrambled to determine the consequences for the state’s 5 million public school students. If the number of cases rises, local officials will be able to impose new rules, but their authority will be limited, according to Abbott.

Tinku Saini, the CEO of Tarka Indian Kitchen, which has locations throughout Texas, said, “While we’ve made significant progress, I’d hate to see that go away.” He announced that customers would no longer be required to wear masks, but that employees would still be required to wear them.

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Founder Bob Sambol of Dallas’ Bob’s Steak & Chop House welcomed the opportunity to make decisions for his own restaurant once more, even if he hasn’t decided on a strategy. “Thank God, I have a week,” said Sambol.

Abbott is one of a growing number of governors in the United States who are easing coronavirus restrictions. The number of cases and deaths in Texas, like the rest of the country, has decreased. The seven-day rolling average of positive tests has dropped to about 7,600 cases, down from over 10,000 in mid-February.

Texas is the only state with more COVID-19 deaths than California and New York.

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In response to Abbott’s announcement, Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted, “Absolutely reckless.”

Texas is reopening to the public just in time for spring break, which health experts fear will spread the virus even further.

Dr. Lauren Ancel Meyers, a professor of integrative biology and director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, said, “Just because things are heading in the right direction doesn’t mean we’ve succeeded in eradicating the risk.”

Dr. Joseph Varon, chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, said he immediately called the hospital’s top leaders after Abbott’s announcement to inform them that more staff and ventilators would be required.

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Varon said, “I’m just worried that I’m going to get a tsunami of new cases.” “I honestly hope I’m mistaken. However, it appears that history is repeating itself.”

Abbott took away local officials’ ability to impose stricter COVID-19 restrictions early in the pandemic but now says counties can impose “mitigation strategies” if virus hospitalizations exceed 15% of total hospital capacity in their area. Local officials, on the other hand, are prohibited from enforcing penalties for not wearing a face covering, according to Abbott.

During the pandemic, most of the country was forced to wear masks, with at least 37 states mandating some form of face protection. But, in recent weeks, mask orders have been lifted in North Dakota, Montana, and Iowa.

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In Texas, emergency restrictions on restaurants and businesses were only lifted last week in the Rio Grande Valley, which has been hit hard by the virus-like few other parts of the country.

“I understand Governor Abbott’s desire to return to normalcy, but I am concerned that, at least in Hidalgo County, we are moving too quickly,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez.