Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city of Austin for maintaining its local requirement for facial coverage, although the state canceled the mask’s mandate.
An executive order from Greg Abbott, governor of Texas, took effect on Wednesday, banning jurisdictions from imposing local mask orders on residents as part of a broader effort to reverse pandemic-era restrictions and open Texas in ” 100 percent”.
Private companies may still require customers to wear masks.
Paxton said on Thursday that he instructed Austin, the state capital, and the surrounding Travis County to comply with state law.
“They ignored me. So, again, I’m dragging them to court, ”said Paxton in a Twitter message.
Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, said in a statement that he and Travis County Judge Andy Brown “will fight to defend and enforce the rules of our local health authorities for as long as possible, using all the power and available tools ”.
Adler continued, “We are not aware of any Texas court that has allowed the state leadership to override the health protection rules of a local health authority.”
The Texas division, the second most populous state, is one of several that opened as some governors eased restrictions faster than some cities and counties would like.
Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, announced on Thursday that the state would leave the mandatory quarantine requirement for domestic travelers on entering the state next month.
This quickly drew criticism from Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, who said he had “concerns about it” and that the densely populated city – one of the hardest hit places during the early days of the pandemic – “was not consulted” about the movement.
Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, on Wednesday night issued an executive order waiving fines imposed by local governments last year for pandemic-related crimes that went beyond any Covid-19 enforcement or orders taken by the state.
Some counties have said they plan to maintain enforcement of local restrictions, such as mask requirements, although there is no statewide mandate.
Last summer, Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, sued Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta, after she ordered a mask order for her city and the reopening of the capital to be canceled.
Kemp refrained from issuing a masked mandate across the state and ended up giving up legal action.