Coronavirus in Texas

Bexar and Hidalgo counties require face masks in businesses as coronavirus
surges. Other Texas leaders consider similar measures.

   Austin's mayor issued a similar order late Wednesday. Local leaders
   have been asking for the ability to impose more strict mask orders, but
   Gov. Greg Abbott never publicly mentioned that one option was ordering
   businesses to require them.
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   With Gov. Greg Abbott’s apparent blessing, Bexar and Hidalgo counties
   have imposed a new mask rule for local businesses, saying they must
   require employees and customers to wear masks when social distancing
   isn't possible. The move appears to open a new way for local officials
   to require mask use in certain public spaces after Abbott stymied prior
   efforts by local officials to put the onus on residents.

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   Cortez's orders comes after Abbott issued an executive order June 3
   banning local governments from imposing fines or criminal penalties on
   people who don't wear masks in public.

   Wolff's order states that, starting Monday and running through the end
   of the month, businesses in Bexar County must require face masks "where
   six feet of separation is not feasible" before the business risks
   facing a fine of up to $1,000. Cortez's order states businesses in
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   Ron Nirenberg signed an update to his emergency health order to express
   support for and adopt Wolff's order, saying that, as the number of
   coronavirus cases increase in the city, "masks are our best line of
   defense."

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   are capable of doing is that we want to make sure individual liberty is
   not infringed upon by government, and hence government cannot require
   individuals to wear masks," Abbott said.

   "Local governments can require stores and business to require masks.
   That’s what was authorized in my plan," Abbott added. "Businesses …
   they’ve always had the opportunity and the ability, just like they can
   require people to wear shoes and shirts, these businesses can require
   people to wear face masks if they come into their businesses. Now local
   officials are just now realizing that that was authorized."

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   statement."

   "Wearing masks is important — to our health and to opening up the
   economy," Adler said. "We will be entering an order directing
   businesses to come up with a simple safety plan over the next several
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   By Wednesday evening, Adler had signed an order mirroring Wolff’s that
   will take effect on Thursday and run through Aug. 15. Businesses in
   Austin can now be fined up to $1,000 for not complying with mask rules.

   Local leaders have been calling for weeks for the ability to impose
   more strict mask orders, but Abbott never publicly mentioned that this
   option was available. On Tuesday, nine mayors from Texas' biggest
   cities wrote a letter to Abbott, urging him to grant them the authority
   to mandate face masks in their own cities in order to prevent the
   spread of coronavirus. Officials from some of the state's biggest urban
   ares said Wednesday they would explore whether to impose a similar
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   "When people go out and about, as they’re walking around town, they
   don’t need to wear a face mask, but when they do go into a store or
   other business, those businesses can require, and that’s exactly what
   it looks like local governments will begin to do," Abbott told KWTX.
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   Mark Escott, the interim health authority for Austin and Travis County,
   said that the city and the county are interested in how they can better
   enforce the wearing of face mask.

   "We certainly do not believe that that there’s any role for
   criminalization of some of these items, but it is helpful for us to be
   able to inform restaurant and bars and other businesses that it’s okay
   for you to require masking. That it’s enforceable, if you decide as as
   your business to not allow people in without masks," Escott said
   Wednesday. "I think it’s an absolutely responsible thing to do for
   businesses to take a stand, not only to protect other customers in that
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   this report.

   Clarification: This story has been updated to note that Austin's mask
   rules allow for businesses to be fined up to $1,000.

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Texas' big-city mayors ask Gov. Greg Abbott for power to impose face mask
rules
       Updated: June 16, 2020