They'll gather at the Capitol Building in Austin at 1PM Monday to protest the mandate ending and to urge lawmakers to prioritize essential workers for vaccines.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) Many people are trying to decide what they ll do next Wednesday when the state s mask mandate gets lifted.
Some leaders and health professionals across the city said it s still too soon, and one bar owner said lifting the order puts an unfair pressure on local businesses.
National businesses have already taken a stance in Texas, saying they will continue their corporate policy of requiring a mask for employees and customers.
The owner of Marquis II, a longtime staple in West University, said he s frustrated because making a decision one way or the other could have big implications.
Not all Texans were rejoicing at the chance to show their faces in public again after Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that businesses won t be required to enforce face masking or limit their capacity come March 2. Abbott’s announcement set Twitter ablaze with backlash, including the trending hashtag RIPTexas, while President Biden accused Abbott (and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who made a similar call) of “Neanderthal thinking.”
One of the most widespread bits of criticism over Abbott’s decision was that while businesses may still require patrons to wear masks the burden to reinforce COVID safety policies falls on employees, making them subject to harassment from anti-maskers, a recurring trend in 2020 when private businesses implemented mask requirements before any official mandates were in place.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) Like talk in every corner and kitchen table in our state, there is a lot of debate about Gov. Greg Abbott s order ending COVID-19 mandates in Texas next week.
Leaders who spoke with Eyewitness News Thursday night for our Action 13 Reopening Texas town hall said Abbott s decision came way too soon or not soon enough. I think this should ve been done a long time ago, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough said. What he has done is going to create chaos, confusion and conflict, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner countered.
But as the head of the Texas Restaurant Association reminded us, the change is coming in less than a week and we all have to deal with it. Her members have spoken.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) Like talk in every corner and kitchen table in our state, there is a lot of debate about Gov. Greg Abbott s order ending COVID-19 mandates in Texas next week.
Leaders who spoke with Eyewitness News Thursday night for our Action 13 Reopening Texas town hall said Abbott s decision came way too soon or not soon enough. I think this should ve been done a long time ago, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough said. What he has done is going to create chaos, confusion and conflict, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner countered.
But as the head of the Texas Restaurant Association reminded us, the change is coming in less than a week and we all have to deal with it. Her members have spoken.