Governor Abbot's Struggle with Mask Mandates

Texas Governor Greg AbbotTexas tribune

In February 2021, 111 Texans died because of the devastating winter storms that hit the state. Texas also had 33 million cases of Covid-19 and a total of about 51,000 deaths due to the virus. Texas was not prepared for the winter storm as the State struggled with the freezing cold, which led to pipes bursting and cars rolling in the streets due to the ice on the road. As of early March, 390 000 Texans were still under boil water while other millions of Texans were without safe drinking water.

The State’s woes are far from over as millions of Texans in this week remain under flash flood resulting in the evacuation of hundreds of Texans. Despite all these problems, Texas Governor Greg Abbot is busy issuing executive orders in his war against masks. Governor Abbot’s executive order stops almost every governmental institution, including school districts and universities, from requiring or mandating masks. However, the Governor spared from his order the municipal jails and prisons, including state-run hospitals and state-supported homes.

The Governor, in a statement, said,

“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.”

The Governor’s championing of liberty, while admirable, is not only reckless but gambling with people’s lives considering that there are now newer variants of the Covid-19 virus, such as the Indian variant or B.1.617 variant, which is believed to be fifty percent more transmittable than the UK variant of the virus. Considering the mutations the virus seems to be undergoing and the available evidence due to loss of lives in countries like India, does the Governor think Texans are ready for another crisis or more shutdowns should a resurgence of the virus happen?

Abbot’s mask mandate draws mixed reactions from Texans

Gov Abbot’s order does not stop businesses from continuing their own mandates regarding employees and customers, although to enforce it would be difficult. On the other hand, local officials face a fine of $1000 themselves should they ignore the executive order and continue to impose the mask mandate. Speaking of the fine, Abbot, in an interview, said,

“So, we not only reaffirmed that and make it clear, but we also in my order today put penalties in against any local government or government official that acts contrary to my executive order.”

In other words, Governor Abbot does not tolerate anyone to defy his orders which goes against the advice issued by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, that recommends schools to keep the Corona Virus safety measures such as masks be held in place for the whole remaining academic year.

In March 2021, Gov Abbot faced criticism when he said, “I just announced Texas is open 100%. EVERYTHING. I also ended the state-wide mask mandate.” Amongst those who criticized Abbot is President Biden. Still, the strongest criticism came from former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (who is a possible contender of the 2022 Governor’s race) when he called it “a death warrant for Texans” and added, “Abbot is killing Texans.” Those who also criticized Abbot include republicans who wished Abbot reopen the state much earlier. Former State Rep retorting the Governor tweeted, “I’m sorry but you are far too late. Many lives and businesses have already been destroyed while you played King. Texans deserve better, you’ve got to go.”

What Texas needs is leadership to get the state back on track. However, Governor Abbot seems to be swaying to wherever the wind blows at a time when Texans need a steady figure to shield them from the storms of the epidemic, financial ruin, and weather catastrophes with possible links to climate change. Do you think Governor Abbot is the right man for Texas in these trying times?

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