Austin restaurants and stores enforcing masks and COVID-19 protocols Mar 4, 2021, 10:45 am Launderette and sister concept Fresa s are keeping safety protocols in place. Let s see this thing through to the end, the restaurant said on social media. - On Wednesday, March 10, Texas statewide mask mandate lifts, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week. The decision, Abbott said, was based on vaccine availability and COVID-19 case numbers, though it was later revealed that he conferred with only one of the state s four medical advisors before making the announcement. Reaction to the decision has unsurprisingly been divided, yet another example of how a simple, effective measure like wearing a mask has been unnecessarily politicized. President Joseph R. Biden called the decision Neanderthal, while local city council members, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, and Mayor Steve Adler have urged Austinites to continue to wear masks until more of the population can be va
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on March 2 the state won t mandate wearing face masks in public anymore. A groundswell of Austin businesses have said that s not going to change their safety policies.
Despite the recommendations of health experts to maintain safety protocols at a crucial moment in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Abbott announced that he will lift the state mask mandate and remove capacity limits from businesses starting March 10. Individual businesses, according to the governor, can still set their own safety protocols, and many Austin businesses are doing just that.
Here s a list of restaurants and stores in town keeping their mask policies, according to social media posts. This list is not comprehensive, but if you see a major omission, email us at features@statesman.com. Visit individual websites or social media accounts for the specifics of their mask policies.
Dozens of Austin bars fined for violating COVID-19 safety rules
Dozens of Austin bars fined for violating COVID-19 safety rules Twenty-five Austin bars recently cited and fined for violating COVID-19 safety rules.
Photo by Daniel Cavazos Austin and Travis County have again reached Stage 5 the highest level of COVID-19 community risk and more than two dozen Austin bars are in hot water for violating local and state safety rules. Interim Medical Director and Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott says such violations have directly contributed to a rise in local COVID-19 cases among young populations. “Unfortunately, we have many bars that are not behaving well and are contributing to these cases,” Escott said during a Travis County Commissions Court session December 22. “So, if we could close one thing, that one thing would be bars. I think we need to look at that. I think the state needs to look at that again and decide whether it’s time to close the loophole that’