Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Texas Is Ending Its Mask Mandate

Texas Is Ending Its Mask Mandate

"It is now time to open Texas 100%," Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he is ending the statewide mask mandate despite warnings from federal health officials that lifting coronavirus safety measures now may lead to another spike in cases and deaths.

“It is now time to open Texas 100%," Abbott said to cheers and applause at a restaurant in Lubbock. "Everybody who wants to work should have that opportunity. Every business that wants to be open should be open."

Under a new executive order that the governor said "rescinds most of" the orders he has issued during the pandemic, all businesses will be allowed to open at full capacity starting March 10. Abbott said Texas is at the point where statewide mandates are no longer necessary to combat COVID-19.

"To be clear, COVID has not, like, suddenly disappeared," Abbott said, arguing that individuals still have a responsibility to follow health protocols. "Personal vigilance to follow the safe standards is still needed to contain COVID. It’s just that now state mandates are no longer needed."

The announcement was swiftly criticized by Democrats in Texas and elsewhere as a "dangerous" and "reckless" decision that will put lives at risk.

“What Abbott is doing is extraordinarily dangerous," Gilberto Hinojosa, chair of the Texas Democratic Party, said in a statement. "This will kill Texans. Our country’s infectious disease specialists have warned that we should not put our guard down even as we make progress towards vaccinations."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move "absolutely reckless."

A man walks past a shop in El Paso in November.


Just last week, the US passed the unimaginable milestone of half a million people who have died from COVID-19. The decline in cases has now appeared to plateau.

In recent days, top health officials have warned against abandoning the measures implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus even as the vaccine rollout speeds up in the US.

"With these statistics, I am really worried about more states rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from COVID-19," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said during a White House briefing Monday. "At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained."

Last month, the CDC formally endorsed double-masking to make face coverings fit better as more infectious COVID-19 variants spread across the country. Federal health officials have emphasized the importance of maintaining mask-wearing until most of the population is vaccinated. Masks are currently mandated on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transit, as well as at airports and stations.

Despite the changes to statewide mandates, Abbott said businesses will be able to enact their own safety measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. However, county judges will not be allowed to enact penalties against people who don't wear a mask. Counties in Texas may also impose their own restrictions, he said, but all businesses must be permitted to operate at a minimum of 50% capacity.

Texas joins a handful of states that have reversed their mask mandates. Several states never implemented a mandate at all.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also repealed his state’s mask mandate Tuesday, saying case numbers “have fallen to the point where no county meets the original criteria for a mask mandate.”

“I am replacing our current orders with recommendations,” Reeves said in a statement. “Everyone should continue to listen to [State Health Officer Thomas] Dobbs and other health advisors for the best possible wisdom regarding how you can personally stem any risk of catching COVID.”

Under the executive order signed by Reeves, only indoor arenas need to limit capacity to 50% and face coverings are still required in schools.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×