Greg Abbott says it puts an end to Texas ’mask rule, business capability limits

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This developing story will be updated soon.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that he will end Texas ’state mask mandate next week and will soon allow all companies to open at full capacity.

“Now it’s time to open Texas 100%,” Abbott said from a Mexican restaurant in Lubbock, arguing that Texas has fought the coronavirus pandemic to the point that “people and businesses don’t need that. State tell them how to operate “longer.

Abbott said he was overturning “most of the previous executive orders” he issued over the past year to curb the spread of the virus. He said that as of next Wednesday, “all businesses of any kind are allowed to open 100%” and masks will no longer be needed in public.

The news comes when the spread of the virus remains significant across the state. Texas has an average of more than 200 reported deaths a day over the past week.

Still, the step is not entirely surprising. Abbott said Thursday that his office was studying when it could lift all coronavirus orders statewide and that it would have announcements “soon.” Texas will be the most populous state in the country that does not have a mask mandate. Currently, more than 30 states have one.

The current trajectory of the virus has been difficult to measure in recent days due to last month’s winter storm, which forced many large counties to close their testing centers and report no cases. Daily confirmed cases and deaths are clearly reduced compared to a statewide peak in January. However, hospitalization data have been less altered and have shown a steady decline since late January.

But only 6.5% of Texans had been fully vaccinated as of Sunday, though Abbott has been optimistic that the pace will increase as more vaccines are made available to Texas.

Experts say Texas is a long way from reaching herd immunity. Reaching the level of 70% to 80% that many estimate would be necessary would mean vaccinating about 22 million people, or nearly 100% of the state’s adults, according to census numbers. Currently, vaccines are not approved for children under 16, representing approximately 23% of the population.

Scientists still do not know for sure whether or not vaccines prevent the spread of the virus, although some preliminary research has suggested that some vaccines could do so to some extent.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that people who have received two doses of the vaccine continue to avoid crowds, stay at least 6 meters away from people living outside their homes, and wear masks to cover their noses. the mouth.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease doctor, has repeatedly said he doesn’t know when Americans will be able to return to normal, but that they may still have to continue wearing face masks until 2022.

Chris Essig contributed to the reports.