ABBOTT: ANNOUNCEMENT COMING ‘PRETTY SOON’ ON POTENTIAL END TO MASK ORDER

  

Governor Greg Abbott is looking into when Texas may lift the statewide mask mandate and other orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Greg Abbott

Speaking at a news conference Thursday in Corpus Christi, Abbott was asked when the state might end the mask requirement as more Texans get vaccinated.  He said state officials are evaluating when they will be able to remove all statewide orders, and that an announcement would be made “pretty soon.”

The mask mandate was instituted last July.  Since then, Abbott has issued orders such as establishing occupancy limits at businesses in regions with high COVID-19 hospitalizations.  He has stressed in the past that there will be no more shutdowns in Texas, saying the state needs to focus on reopening businesses.

Abbott has been criticized by fellow Republicans for his use of executive orders to create coronavirus-related mandates.

As of Thursday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), 4.8 million vaccine doses have been administered, with 1.6 million people fully vaccinated.  State health officials say as many as 22 million people—almost 100 percent of adults in the state, according to census data—would need to be vaccinated for Texas to reach “herd immunity” through vaccines.  Children under 16 are currently not approved to take the vaccines.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has stated masks may need to be worn into 2022.

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18 Comments

  1. We will continue to wear a mask in public until COVID-19 is no longer a threat to our health; no matter what Abbot says.
    We utilize common sense! Having auto insurance doesn’t prevent an accident! Having life insurance is not a guarantee that a person will not die. Wearing a mask may or may not prevent a COVID infection but it is a matter of decency, courtesy to others and common sense!
    Anyone have a better solution; speak now or forever shut up with the negativity and complaining! We are sick of it. No one is restricting your freedom or taking away your rights. There is no such thing as absolute freedom. If you think so then please go walking downtown completely naked or take your Bud or bud with you on a leisure drive across town and never mind the speed limits. Nobody has a right to tell you how fast to drive your vehicle. Drop your liability insurance. Isn’t that socialism? Government telling you what to do; resist and riot! You will be greeted by some nice people in blue suits with badges who will help you understand freedom and rights. Wear a mask!

    1. New York and California have much stricter social distancing rules and mask requirements but are faring worse than Texas. If having rules for the sake of having rules makes you feel better, perhaps you could consider relocating to a state that has more rules. It is unlikely to change any outcomes for you but at least you can feel better knowing there are more rules in place.

  2. Last year, Fauci did say masks don’t really work and are just a false sense of security anyway, so…

    1. It’s no secret that we have all been inundated with conflicting information and recommendations. We all want things back to “normal” with normal being an individual opinion. I reluctantly took my first vaccination mainly because of my age and some underlying medical issues. At this point and time I honestly don’t know who is right versus who is wrong when it comes to the masks. I intently watch the numbers being reported to see if this virus is slowly subsiding. Again, can I believe the numbers?

    2. Wrong. Fact check your sentence on google. A lot people are just repeating things they hear from someone else without fact checking.
      Yes early on pre-April 2020 there was a shortage of masks. If everyone in the streets wore masks then health care workers would not be protected as masks would up. You take care of the people that are vital 1st. Without healthcare workers we would in a bigger mess. So recommendations we tipid at best.

  3. This is insanity. The vaccine rollout here has been abysmal at best. As of Feb 1, less than 1% of our population had complete a series. We are just coming off a week of isolation from the storms. It is beyond stupid and ill advised to slack off on mask requirements now. We are no where near heard immunity. I hope someone can talk some sense into our elected officials. How many times do they have to sacrifice us for their political aspirations?

    1. It’s not about wearing a mask- it’s that Abbott’s indefinite executive mandate is unconstitutional. Our government is not run by mandates and orders. The legislature should be the ones to create laws, not the governor. One person creating laws has a name: dictatorship.

      1. Texas Legislature meets every 2 years. Better to time all our crisis considering this calendar.
        Vote Abbott out if he makes a mistake you cannot tolerate. We have an executive branch to deal controversial issues that need action pronto. Congress waters down all issues (look at our taxes). Too many vested interests by too many people.

    2. There is plenty of evidence that these masks don’t work: https://www.scribd.com/document/488367147/V4-Covid-Truth-Resources-6 Let’s let Texans do their own research and make their own decisions. If you believe a random piece of cloth protects you, fine–wear one.

      It’s not remotely logical to believe that the masks that have allowed 500,000 COVID deaths would give us only 165 flu deaths. We’re being lied to constantly by the media.

      1. One swedish doctor found somewhere in the world is not science. Doctors opinions are as varied as anyone in Walmart. It is scientific medical think tanks that use scientific consensus that we listen to to make public policy. Find us a large medical institution that holds his view.
        Look at Harvard medical, Sanford medical, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Texas Medical Center.
        What do they say? Yes look at the CDC and NIH and WHO.
        Bet that doctor makes speakers fees for his spout opinions. In the article you quote, he says that Covid-19 is no worse than the regular flu. Bet even he thinks 500,000 americans in 12 months is deadlier than garden variety influenza. He wrote the article in august before the third wave. Read Malcolm Kendricks bio on google. He thinks high cholesterol does not increase heart disease. He is a joke.

  4. This will be great news. Time to move on, back to normal. The Governor is a smart man, surrounded by even smarter people, for the most. It is time to end this Covid related nonsense and live life as we should. Life is dangerous, if you are scared, then stay home and safe forever.

  5. We now have a vaccine and know enough about the virus to weigh the risks of wearing or not wearing a mask. Canceling the mask mandate would allow us the freedom of choice. People who don’t want to wear a mask should no longer be forced to wear one. People who do want to continue wearing a mask can continue to do so.

  6. “Common good”? Virtue signaling much?? MASKS DONT WORK!!!! And herd is right. Like a herd of cattle or sheep lining up to their own slaughter. Ill never conform to such so called “science”.

  7. The majority of citizens have not been immunized. There is no logic which begins to support such a bad decision. After the power grid debacle Texans are unhappy with state leadership. Perhaps he believes his loyal supporters will celebrate this decision. I really believe Texans are much wiser than he thinks. Thanks to swift action by the Feds in the last month, Americans are finally seeing a glimmer of light in this long pandemic tunnel. The last thing we need to be doing is the Texas two step in reverse.

  8. The numbers are going down because we’re all wearing masks, so let’s stop wearing masks. How does this make sense? It’s like if we cracked down on DWI, and started heavy enforcement, and DWIs went down, so let’s all start drinking & driving again. Right, because the numbers are down?

    Once the vaccination numbers climb high enough, and health officials, NOT politicians, think it’s safe, then we can do it. I really don’t want to walk thru Wal*Mart with Covid people breathing on me.

    PS: I’ve been vaccinated, but I’m thinking of herd immunity and the common good, not just me.

    1. They are going down because of mask wearing? Really? California has the MOST unconstitutional and STRICTEST lockdown measures in the NATION and they have the highest number of cases and deaths to date!! If you think you are going ANYWHERE without being exposed to COVID at this point, then naivety doesn’t begin to describe you.

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