Texas Governor More Concerned With Stopping Mask Mandates Than Stopping the Virus
Officials in one Texas city are literally sounding the alarm over rising Covid-19 cases in the state, as the seven-day average number of confirmed cases has steadily risen since late July and surpassed 10,000 over the weekend, according to the Department of State Health Services. But Republican Governor Greg Abbott continues to thwart local governments that want to make masks mandatory, caring more about stopping mask mandates than the virus.
The city of Austin activated its emergency response system over the weekend to warn residents of rising cases and encourage them to mask up, get vaccinated and stay home to fight the spread of the virus. But the city can’t mandate any of those measures because of an executive order Abbott signed last month.
Abbott’s order bans government-enforced mask or vaccine mandates. It states that “no governmental official may require any person to wear a face covering or to mandate that another person wear a face covering” and that “no governmental entity can compel any individual to received a Covid-19 vaccine administered under an emergency use authorization.” Some facilities, such as hospitals, state prisons and local jails, however, were granted an exception. Schools were not.
Instead, the Texas Education Agency backed up Abbott’s order, stating that school districts cannot mandate masks but students may choose to wear them. The agency also said schools are not required to perform contact tracing or inform parents of a positive Covid-19 case.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/texas-governor-more-concerned-stopping-194756082.html
