Gov. Greg Abbott requires masks statewide to fight COVID-19, limits size of gatherings

AUSTIN — As cases of the coronavirus surge to record highs, Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered Texans to wear face masks in public. Abbott also gave local officials power to restrict outdoor gatherings with more than 10 people ahead of the holiday weekend.

“Wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said. “We have the ability to keep businesses open and move our economy forward so that Texans can continue to earn a paycheck, but it requires each of us to do our part to protect one another—and that means wearing a face covering in public spaces.”

The move marks a major reversal for Abbott, who in April blocked local officials from penalizing people who don’t wear masks, undermining their efforts to slow the virus’s spread. Those who don’t follow Abbott’s mask order can face fines of up to $250. The first offense is a warning.

The order, which takes effect Friday at noon, requires people over age 10 to wear face coverings inside businesses and other buildings or spaces open to the public. It also requires masks outside, in public spaces when it’s not feasible to stay six feet apart from others. There are some exceptions, including for people who are eating, drinking, exercising, voting or worshipping. Protests are not considered an exception. The requirements apply only in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases.

The Texas Medical Association praised the move.

“The physicians of Texas are very pleased that Governor Abbott is following the science,” Texas Medical Association (TMA) President Diana L. Fite, said in a statement. “There is no question about it – face masks reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Local leaders, including Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, have pressured Abbott for stricter mask requirements as cases soar.

On Thursday, Dallas County reported over 700 new positive cases, far surpassing the previous single day record. Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said the county will report over 1,000 new cases Friday.

Jenkins urged people to avoid large gatherings over the holiday weekend and called Abbott’s order “very good.”

“I want to thank all the doctors and businesspeople who pushed so hard for that to happen, because now that will be a regional and statewide approach,” he said. “And that really should help us with what we’re seeing because what we’re seeing folks is pretty scary.”

Now that many businesses have reopened, masking and social distancing are among the only tools left to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Since so many infected people have mild or no symptoms, universal mask use can help slow transmission of the virus, public health experts say. They also offer some protection to the person wearing one.

Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said he’s glad that Abbott “is implementing a long-overdue statewide mask order.”

“Local officials and House Democrats — along with medical professionals — have been calling for this action for weeks now,” said Turner, who also chairs the Texas House Democratic Caucus. “Texas is in crisis and it is past time for decisive action to be taken.”

The order, however, has proven unpopular with some conservatives in Texas, who say requirements to wear face coverings infringe on their freedoms. Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, on Thursday called Abbott a “TYRANT” and said he must be removed from office.

“Liberty is under direct attack & cannot be ignored by Texans anymore,” he said on Twitter.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommending in April that everyone wear a mask of cloth face covering when they can’t be distanced from others. But leaders in Texas and in Washington D.C. have been slow to fully embrace the policy.

After saying he didn’t think masks were for him, and deriding a journalist for wearing one at his news conference, President Trump changed his tone on Wednesday. Trump said he is “all for masks,” which he thinks make him look like the Lone Ranger.

Abbott’s own position on masks has shifted significantly since the pandemic began. The Republican governor began wearing a mask during public appearances in late May. As new cases and hospitalizations climbed to record highs in June, Abbott began pleading with people to wear face coverings.

Abbott blocked local officials from penalizing people who went without masks in April. But recently he gave his blessing to cities and counties that made plans to require masks in businesses.

While Dallas County and others adopted the policy, other counties did not, leading to a patchwork of rules.

In television interviews last month, Abbott defended his position that government should not force people to wear masks.

“I’ve been clear all along first with regard to what my executive order says concerning individuals,” he said on KSAT in San Antonio on June 17. “And that is, the government cannot mandate that individuals wear face masks. And the government cannot punish individuals, whether criminally or civilly, for not wearing a face mask.”

Abbott’s new order will be enforced by law enforcement and stresses that people cannot be arrested, detained or confined to jail for violating it.

That comes after Abbott intervened in May on behalf of Shelley Luther, a Dallas salon owner, who was sentenced to 7 days in jail after defying the county’s stay-at-home order to open her salon despite being told not to by a state judge. After backlash from conservatives, Abbott tweaked his statewide stay-at-home orders to ban confinement, which would result in Luther’s release.

Abbott used Luther’s arrest to blast Jenkins, who was among the first local officials in the state to issue stay-at-home orders. During the pandemic, Jenkins has been a constant thorn in Abbott’s side, calling for the governor to take bigger steps — like a mandatory mask mandate — to mitigate the virus spread.

Staff Writers Sue Ambrose, Megan Menchaca and Aria Jones in Dallas contributed to this report.