Virus rules not enforced. Grieving Texas family asks: Why?
by Paul J. Weber, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 21, 2020 4:22 pm EDT
Last Updated Dec 21, 2020 at 4:28 pm EDT
ABILENE, Texas In the weeks that Mark Riggs went from feeling worn down before Thanksgiving to dying of COVID-19 last Monday, only six calls about people not wearing face coverings rolled into the Abilene Police Department.
Even though defiance of Texas’ mask mandate is easy to find here.
When Riggs checked into the hospital, a morgue trailer big enough to stack 24 bodies had just arrived out back. A medical field tent sprung up in the parking lot while doctors moved the 67-year-old college professor to a ventilator. He died in an intensive care unit that has been full for weeks and is the largest within roughly 15,000 square miles of pumpjacks and cattle pastures, bigger than Maryland.
Even though defiance of Texas mask mandate is easy to find here.
When Riggs checked into the hospital, a morgue trailer big enough to stack 24 bodies had just arrived out back. A medical field tent sprung up in the parking lot while doctors moved the 67-year-old college professor to a ventilator. He died in an intensive care unit that has been full for weeks and is the largest within roughly 15,000 square miles of pumpjacks and cattle pastures, bigger than Maryland.
Officers responded to three of the calls about face coverings, which have been required since June. No citations were issued.
Paul J. Weber
Employee Grayson Allred walks away with a ladder after working on the front marquee at the Paramount Theatre on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Abilene, Texas. The marquee which in part reads, It s A Wonderful Life, Cancelled , notifies all would-be patrons that the theatre has closed down indefinitely due to rising cases of COVID-19 in the city. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) December 21, 2020 - 8:45 PM
ABILENE, Texas - In the weeks that Mark Riggs went from feeling worn down before Thanksgiving to dying of COVID-19 last Monday, only six calls about people not wearing face coverings rolled into the Abilene Police Department.