Texas Governor Greg Abbott just threw down the gauntlet to any tin-pot water commissioner, mayor, or school board member who wants to keep Texans wrapped up in a mask. He’s turned COVID mask mandates on their ear by prohibiting mask mandates by any governmental entity in the state.
That’s right, it’s a mandate against mask mandates.
He signed an emergency declaration on Tuesday announcing that Texans have a “liberty to choose” whether or not they’ll wear a mask.
We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans’ liberty to choose whether or not they mask up.
Imagine that: an elected leader who believes individuals can conduct their own affairs in a waning pandemic.
But, wait, it gets better.
Just to make sure liberal Travis County mask scolds don’t try any funny stuff, Abbott’s new rule says any governmental outfit requiring masks can be fined $1,000.
He wrote on Twitter:
TX is prohibiting mask mandates by gov’t entities.
Starting May 21, local govts attempting to impose mask mandates can be fined up to $1K.
We’re also prohibiting public schools from mandating masks after June 4.
Texans, not gov’t, should decide their best health practices.
TX is prohibiting mask mandates by gov’t entities.
Starting May 21, local govts attempting to impose mask mandates can be fined up to $1K.
We're also prohibiting public schools from mandating masks after June 4.
Texans, not gov’t, should decide their best health practices. pic.twitter.com/M7iN4sLBJV
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 18, 2021
Businesses still will determine whether or not to impose mask mandates for their customers, but local governments will not.
He declared:
The Lone Star State continues to defeat COVID-19 through the use of widely-available vaccines, antibody therapeutic drugs, and safe practices utilized by Texans in our communities. Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities. We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans’ liberty to choose whether or not they mask up.
This, naturally, will cause a case of the shivers from the progressive-woke mask scolds, but it appears he’s not afraid of their reactions. Of course, if they want to wear a mask they have the “liberty to choose,” as Abbott announced.
Abbott has been roundly criticized by the likes of the president of the United States, California’s governor, and other elected Democrats, who called him “reckless” and a “Neanderthal” for re-opening Texas in March. On Sunday, Abbott touted the latest COVID numbers showing Texas had no new cases on that day, a continuing trend in the Lone Star State.
As actress Gina Carano noted on Twitter, Biden and the blue states are just jealous.
— Gina Carano 🕯 (@ginacarano) May 18, 2021
It’s a tough call, but we’ll take Jayne Mansfield over Sophia Loren on this one.
Under the governor’s declaration, the only one who can impose any mask mandate is Abbott himself.
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