Texas Governor Mandates Face Masks Amid Coronavirus Spikes

AUSTIN, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued an executive order requiring all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces at counties with 20 or more positive cases of the coronavirus.

Concurrently, the governor issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people, and prohibiting people to gather in groups larger than ten, with few exceptions. Taking effect on Friday, the order also directs local officials to advise residents on the merits of physical distancing — maintaining a six-foot buffer with others.

The move comes amid record-setting rates of respiratory illness across Texas. On Wednesday, Texas Department of State Health Services officials reported the emergence of more than 8,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday — a single-day record, and more than 1,100 from the increase reported the previous day. In the same 24-hour period 57 more deaths brought the historical fatality count to 2,481.

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Shortly after Abbott issued his new order mandating masks on Thursday, health officials reported another 7,915 cases of coronavirus over the past 24 hours. The uptick raises the historical illness count in Texas to 175,977. Another 44 deaths were reported, increasing the fatality count so far to 2,525, according to a statistical dashboard maintained by Texas Department of State Health Services officials.

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"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 in a prepared statement. “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."

Abbott added: "Likewise, large gatherings are a clear contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases. Restricting the size of groups gatherings will strengthen Texas’ ability to corral this virus and keep Texans safe. We all have a responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our communities safe."

View the Governor's Executive Order

View the Governor's Proclamation

Implementing such measures will ensure a reduction in the spread of illness, the governor added: "If Texans commit to wearing face coverings in public spaces and follow the best health and safety practices, we can both slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep Texas open for business. I urge all Texans to wear a face covering in public, not just for their own health, but for the health of their families, friends, and for all our fellow Texans.”

Additionally, the governor released a new video message to coincide with his new order, encouraging Texans to do their part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 to keep their communities safe. The video can be downloaded at this link and can also be viewed on YouTube.

The mask mandate is a stark departure for the governor, who early in the pandemic extolled the virtues of "individual responsibility" in making their use voluntary. In issuing the previous order, he warned government officials at the local level not to enforce mask wearing while pointing to his superseding order. His new order now calls for fines not to exceed $250 for violators of the new mask directive.

Respiratory illness rates have risen exponentially since the governor launched an aggressive reopening of the coronavirus-stalled economy on May 1 he said was being guided by "doctors and data." In so doing, Abbott was the head of state to jump-start the economy — after similar efforts in Georgia one week before — by implementing a multi-phased reopening of businesses that started with restaurants, malls and movie theaters operating at 25 percent capacity.

Since then, Abbott has directed further economic expansion. But amid growing rates of illness statewide, Abbott last week ordered bars across the state to close again. Abbott the same day also paused his economic expansion plans, which amounted to stopping already opened businesses to increase their occupancy levels — including restaurants that were already operating at 75 percent capacity. The same week, Abbott for a second time ordered a ban on elective surgeries and medical procedures to make room for an anticipated influx of new coronavirus patients.