Texas is ready to remove mask, reopens 100%

On Wednesday, the state of Texas prepares to lift its mask mandate and reopen businesses to full capacity. Some considered this move as freedom while others as foolishness.

In written, Texas’ rollback of coronavirus mitigation efforts is the most sweeping seen in the United States, along with a similar step taken in Mississippi. In reality, vast swaths of Texas have rarely enforced mask or occupancy mandates in the past year, anyway.

In Texas, many retailers, grocery stores and restaurant chains said they would still require that everybody wears a mask in their stores, which under Governor Greg Abbott’s order relaxing restrictions is their right to do.

Texas was one of the first states to reopen its economy after the first wave of the pandemic, and the nation’s second-most populous state led the way again last week when Abbott announced the relaxation amid declines in new daily COVID-19 cases and with the rollout of vaccines.

Austin’s city council voted to still require masks – and dared state officials to sue the city.

“In Austin, we’re committed to saving lives,” city council member Greg Casar wrote on Twitter.

The Dallas Jewish Conservatives organization plans to host a party Wednesday evening with about 200 people. There will be a moment of silence for the people who lost their lives during the pandemic, refreshments for the guests and a bonfire into which folks will be encouraged to throw masks.