People sit at an outdoor table to share a drink on the patio at Bar 5015 as the state of Texas lifts its mask mandate and allows businesses to reopen at full capacity during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Houston, Texas, US, March 10, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]
Texas is doing it and now Florida appears ready to follow suit.
Both states are seeking to limit the authority of local leaders to go their own way and not follow mandates from their governors. The issue is face masks.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott lifted the state's mask mandate and fully reopened businesses on March 10. But officials in the city of Austin, the state's capital, and surrounding Travis County said that they would continue requiring citizens to wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.