Texas Governor Greg Abbott is ordering governmental entities to end mask mandates. He issued an executive order today saying cities, counties, and other governmental bodies would be fined a thousand dollars for a mask mandate starting May 21st.
Public schools are exempt from the rules through June 4th. Abbott says it should be up to Texans to decide if they want to wear masks to protect themselves from coronavirus. Mask mandates can still exist at government-owned hospitals, state-supported living centers, county and municipal jails, and TDCJ facilities.
"The Lone Star State continues to defeat COVID-19 through the use of widely-available vaccines, antibody therapeutic drugs, and safe practices utilized by Texans in our communities," said Governor Abbott. "Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities. We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans' liberty to choose whether or not they mask up."
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