Gov. Abbott Moves 'To Open Texas At 100%,' End Mask Mandate

AUSTIN, TX — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott moved to "open Texas at 100 percent" and end the state mandated mask enforcement next week after citing declining hospitalizations and more Texans being vaccinated as the reason to reopen.

The governor made the announcement Tuesday afternoon at Montelongo's Mexican Restaurant in Lubbock in an address to the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.

"With the medical advancements of vaccines and antibody therapeutic drugs, Texas now has the tools to protect Texans from the virus,” Abbott said. "We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent.

"With this executive order, we are ensuring that all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny."

The decision comes after health experts and federal officials have warned state authorities of new, more contagious variants that could make COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rebound after its decline.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she is “really worried” about states rolling back COVID-19 restrictions as cases appear to be leveling off at a “very high number,” according to CNBC.

“Please hear me clearly: At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained,” Walensky said.

Abbott said his decision to reopen Texas is because the state is in a "far better position" than it was when he issued his last executive order in October 2020.

"When COVID first ravaged our communities, there were no medicines to treat it, but now we have antibody therapeutic drugs who treat COVID and keep people out of hospitals," Abbott said. "Last March, most Texans had no clue about the precautions needed to avoid COVID. Now, Texans have mastered the daily habits to avoid getting COVID."

Hours before the event, Abbott tweeted about Texas' vaccine rollout and cited the large number of people being vaccinated as the "big reason" why hospitalizations are low at this time.

"Today, Texas will report a new one day record for the number of people receiving vaccines — more than 216,000," he tweeted. "We are now providing more than 1 million vaccines a week. This is a big reason why hospitalizations are at the lowest level in four months."

More than 3.5 million Texans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus, or 12.7 percent of the state's population. Nearly 1.9 million are fully vaccinated, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The governor's office said nearly 5.7 million vaccine shots have been administered to Texans, and the state is now administering almost 1 million shots each week.

By next Wednesday, the agency said about 7 million shots will have been administered in Texas and over half of seniors in Texas will have received a vaccine shot.

Tuesday afternoon, Austin Mayor Steve Adler tweeted a document he and Travis County Judge Andy Brown wrote to urge the governor to keep the mask mandate in place.

"With the arrival of new variants of the virus to Texas and our cities, with the associated potential for a future spike in cases, preserving the most effective of our existing safety measures is even more important," the document said. "We have to do everything in our power to prevent new surges in infections, subsequent hospitalizations and more deaths ... the mask mandate is a wise and effective choice. It is a minor discomfort compared to the alternative."

Top U.S. health officials, including Walensky and White House Chief Medical Advisory Dr. Anthony Fauci, have warned in recent weeks that the rise of more contagious variants could reverse the current downward trajectory in infections in the U.S. and delay the nation’s recovery from the pandemic.

As of Sunday, the CDC has identified 2,400 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the U.K. The agency has identified 53 cases of the B.1.351 strain from South Africa as well as 10 cases of P.1, a variant first identified in Brazil, according to CNBC.

"Today's announcement doesn’t abandon safe practices that Texans have mastered over the past year," Abbott said. "Instead, it’s a reminder that each person has a role to play in their own personal safety & the safety of others."

Abbott said the executive order will be effective March 10. All businesses of any type may open to 100 percent capacity, and the state's mask mandate will end.

Businesses may still limit capacity or implement additional safety protocols at their own discretion, according to the state.

The state says if COVID-19 hospitalizations in any of the 22 hospital regions in Texas get above 15 percent of the hospital bed capacity in that region for seven straight days, a county judge in that region may use COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

However, county judges may not impose jail time for not following COVID-19 orders, nor may any penalties be imposed for failing to wear a face mask.

If restrictions are imposed at a county level, those restrictions may not include reducing capacity to less than 50 percent for any type of entity, the agency said.