Fully Vaccinated People Can Drop Masks In Austin Businesses

AUSTIN, TX — Fully vaccinated people are no longer required to wear masks indoors in many Austin-Travis County businesses starting Tuesday, according to new pandemic rules set in place by Dr. Mark Escott, the existing city-county health authority.

The new rules, announced Tuesday, will allow events and businesses to stop requiring masks for fully vaccinated people if there are fewer than 500 people inside at once and fewer than 2,500 people gathered outside at once. Fully vaccinated people will have to wear a mask in outdoor settings if more than 2,500 people are gathered.

Austin-Travis County's relaxed mandate comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines saying fully vaccinated residents no longer need to wear masks or remain socially distant in many public spaces.

Target, Trader Joe's, Walmart and Sam's Club quickly adopted the new recommendations over the weekend and stopped requiring masks for those who are fully vaccinated.

Escott, whose tenure as health authority will end on May 31, delayed his decision until Tuesday to revise his rules to incorporate the CDC's recommendations for fully vaccinated people.

According to the city's website, his local mask mandate was set to expire Tuesday.

Austin Public Health leaders on Tuesday also modified the agency's risk-based guidelines moving Austin-Travis County under stage 2 rules.

This stage urges businesses to operate at 75% capacity, and those at higher risk to avoid gatherings of more than 10. Those who are less at risk for severe illness are asked to avoid gatherings larger than 25 people.

Fully vaccinated individuals under Stage 2 also no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors while gathered in private groups, according to Escott. They can also shop or dine without a mask if the business allows it.

Escott on Friday said it's also at the discretion of each business owner to decide whether masking will be required, just as some do if customers try to come into a store without a shirt or shoes.

"Again, the challenge we have from store owners, from business owners, is that there is not an effective way for them to identify people who are fully vaccinated," Escott said Friday.

While the city may have loosened restrictions, Austin school district students and employees will still have to wear masks while indoors for the rest of the school year.

MORE ON THAT STORY: Austin ISD Will Still Require Masks Despite CDC Recommendations

"Since we have no way to verify vaccination statuses and, until this week, most of our students were not yet eligible to be vaccinated, Austin ISD will continue to require masking through the rest of the school year and with graduation ceremonies," officials said Friday.