LUBBOCK, Texas – Speaking from Montelongo’s Mexican Restaurant in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott essentially said that while the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, the state will no longer enforce any rules aimed at curbing it.

What You Need To Know

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to issue new executive order rescinding most COVID-19 restrictions

  • Beginning March 10, all Texas businesses will be permitted to operate at 100% capacity

  • The statewide mask mandate will be ended

  • City leaders and health experts criticized decision, claiming it could cause ground to be lost 

Citing declining case numbers and hospitalizations along with the availability of vaccines, Gov. Abbott said he is issuing a new executive order that does away with the state-mandated protections created by previous orders.

Starting next Wednesday, all Texas businesses can operate at 100% capacity. The statewide mask mandate will be rescinded.

In explaining his decision-making process, Gov. Abbott said Texans are now experts in not getting COVID-19 and discussed the availably of vaccines, antibody drugs and the ample supply of personal protective equipment.

Abbott said protection from the virus is now a matter of personal responsibility. In addition, he said that businesses that wish to impose limitations on occupancy and enforce other measures such as mask mandates may do so.

He also said that in Texas hospital regions where the COVID-19 hospitalization rate exceeds 15% of total hospitalizations, county judges can enact further restrictions. However, Abbott said, people cannot be jailed for failing to follow those restrictions, and that includes mask-wearing.

On the subject of vaccines, Gov. Abbott said that by the end of February every senior citizen in Texas who wishes to get a shot will be able to do so. He also said that, according to some unnamed experts, every Texan who wishes to be vaccinated will be able to do so in a few months.

Criticism of Abbott’s new executive order was swift. Austin City Council member Gregorio Casar, for instance, tweeted, “This virus has killed more than 40,000 Texans. @GregAbbott_TX’s response? Ignore health professionals, attack mask rules, & endanger lives to score political points. Locally, we must continue wearing masks & caring for our sick, despite the cowardice of our governor.”

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, earlier warned that a move such as the one Gov. Abbott has made could cause a spike in cases to occur and a lot of the ground grained on the virus to be lost.

“Please hear me clearly: At this level of cases, with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained … Now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know can stop the spread of COVID-19…” she said.

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Monday reported 1,637 new confirmed cases of the virus and 344 new probable cases. There were 59 new fatalities reported and 5,611 Texans are currently being treated for the virus in hospitals.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, there have been 2,660,971 total cases of COVID-19 in the state and the virus has claimed 43,909 lives.

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