Nearly 80 Texas counties are opting out of Texas' mask order. Others are refusing to enforce it.

[TexasTowelie]

by Valeria Olivares, Texas Tribune


When Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide executive order requiring Texans to wear masks in public, he gave counties the opportunity to opt out if they have a low number of active coronavirus cases.

A week later, 78 counties have taken him up on that offer. And a handful of other local governments have insisted that they won't enforce the order even though they don't qualify for the opt-out provision. Officials cited a desire to preserve personal freedoms or concerns about enforcement.

"I think it's an insult to Texans to be required to do something they should have discretion for," said Hugh Reed, the top administrator for rural Armstrong County, near Amarillo, which opted out.

In a press release announcing the order, Abbott said that "wearing a face covering in public is proven to be one of the most effective ways we have to slow the spread of COVID-19." Public health experts broadly agree that masks slow the spread of the virus, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend face coverings for anyone 2 or older in public settings.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/09/texas-mask-order-enforcement/

[chillfactor]

1. Looks like Texans are on a path

to wipe out everyone in their state......miles and miles and miles of ghost towns.

[Dan]

2. Wondering, if someone can explain to me

Aren’t doctors from other locations (States) traveling to different States that are spiking, to provide Human Resources to assist the States in trouble? And if so, if a State that is spiking does not provide for enforcement of rules that will safeguard the public, why should these doctors travel to a State that has decided they won’t abide by any guidelines? Short question, do we have an obligation to interfere with a sane person that wants to commit suicide?

[elleng]

3. So much for texas

[secondwind]

4. They sure take this "personal freedom" to new heights.

Stupid stupid !!

[DanieRains]

5. Texas Roulette

Order body bags.

[brush]

6. That state will never get rid of it. Too many repug idiots.

[soothsayer]

7. SMDH

[JDC]

8. Leadership set the tone of ignorance and defiance there from the beginning

They reap what they sow.

Well Texas, it's your funeral, as they say.

[captain queeg]

9. 11,394 yesterday

[louis-t]

10. I saw one yokel sheriff say "I am not the mask police."

Maybe not, but he will have to deal with the deaths at some point.

[Javaman]

11. it's stories like this that only confirm to me that we are never going to flatten the curve in this

country until all the asshole repukes who refuse to listen to reason are dead from the virus.

we. are. so. fucked.