Texas will end its restrictions on coronavirus next week with an impending executive order, Governor Greg Abbott (R) announced on Tuesday during a press conference in Lubbock.
Why does it matter: After Abbott signs the new order, which rescinds previous orders, all deals can open at 100% capacity and the mask’s statewide mandate will end, although large parts of the state will remain under masks of local decrees.
What they are saying: “Now is the time to open Texas 100%,” Abbott said on Tuesday. “For almost half a year, most companies have been opened 75% or 50%, and during that time, many Texans have been excluded from job opportunities.”
- “Many small business owners have a hard time paying their bills. This should end,” he added.
- The governor said the restrictions are no longer needed now that the state is better prepared to test and treat the virus and is vaccinating more residents.
By the numbers: Texas reported more than 1,600 new cases and zero new deaths from the virus on Monday, according to the state’s coronavirus panel.
- Abbott said Texas distributed 216,000 vaccines on Tuesday – a record for the state – and that 5.7 million vaccines have already been administered in the state.
The big picture: Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) also announced on Tuesday that the state will suspend mask mandates for all counties on Wednesday, saying “hospitalizations have plummeted and our case numbers have also dropped dramatically,” according to an ABC affiliate.
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned states on Monday against lifting public health restrictions because coronavirus cases and deaths “appear to be stopping” after a recent decline.
- “With these new statistics, I am really concerned about reports that more states are reversing the exact public health measures that we recommend to protect people from COVID-19,” said Walensky.