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When several local Texas governments, including Dallas Counties and Bexar Counties, disregarded Governor Greg Abbott’s orders to ban mask mandates, he vowed to bring them to justice.
Abbott scored a victory on Sunday – at least for now.
The Texas Supreme Court has issued stays that prevented mask mandates from being enforced in these counties, which are two of the larger counties in the country. A final decision is still pending.
What you need to know
- The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Governor Abbott’s ban on government mask mandates
- Any violation of Executive Order GA-38 can result in legal consequences
- Wearing masks is a personal responsibility, not a government mandate, according to Abbott
Abbott’s orders prohibit any agency receiving government funds to enforce mask or vaccine mandates.
BREAKING: The Texas Supreme Court has issued a temporary suspension of lower court rulings overriding the state’s ban on mask mandates.
The ban does not prohibit the use of masks. Anyone who wants to wear a mask can do so, including in schools.https: //t.co/QeVipZMPWH
– Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 15, 2021
The stays come after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion for Mandamus stating that the Texas Disaster Act of 1975 grants the governor the authority to act as the “commander in chief” of the state during times of disaster.
Shortly after the court’s decision, Dallas Country Judge Clay Jenkins, who issued the emergency order requiring masks in parts of the county, said the ruling did not actually invalidate his mask order.
“The Tex Supreme Court did not overturn my order on face masks. Instead, they removed the stop on GA 38, ”tweeted Jenkins. “Unless I receive a different decision, I will amend my order to remove the possibility of fines for non-compliant companies, but otherwise leave the order in effect.”
The Tex Supreme Court did not overturn my face mask order. Instead, they lifted the suspension of GA 38. Unless I am given a different decision, I will amend my order to remove the possibility of fines for non-compliant businesses, but otherwise keep the order in effect.
– Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) August 16, 2021
Hays County was one of the youngest to join Dallas Counties, Bexar Counties, and San Antonio in implementing mask mandates. In addition, the state’s major school districts – including Austin ISD, Dallas ISD, Fort Worth ISD, and Houston ISD – have introduced masking requirements.
Although the number of COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions in Texas has steadily increased with the spread of the Delta variant, Abbott says that wearing masks should be a personal responsibility, not a state mandate.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 4,209 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 43 new deaths attributable to the virus on Sunday. More than 11,500 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state.
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