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In a speech in Dallas on Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott (right) said “closures are bad during a pandemic” and “there will be no closures or imposed mask warrants by the government “in Texas.
Abbott was in town to address the Asian and American Hotel Owners Association National Convention.
In his remarks, Abbott assured attendees that their businesses would not be shut down in an emergency and that the power would remain on due to recent legislation passed in the state.
“One thing we do know is that safe practices are important, that said, one thing we have learned along the way is that lockdowns are bad during a pandemic,” Abbott said. .
Abbott was criticized Tuesday by President Joe Biden for his executive order prohibiting courts from imposing mask warrants. Biden told Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to either help stop the spread of COVID-19, which is on the rise in both states, or to “get out of the way.”
Abbott reaffirmed its position on Wednesday that mask warrants are not needed in Texas because Texans already know what to do to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“So in the future, we will encourage everyone to implement the safest strategies to ensure that we continue to contain and slow the spread of COVID-19, including the safest thing that can be. done and that’s to make sure anyone who wants one gets a vaccine, ”Abbott said.
“That said, in the future there will be no government imposed closures or mask mandates. Everyone already knows what to do. Anyone can voluntarily implement the safest warrants for them. , his family and his business. “
Last week, Abbott issued an executive order banning schools, governments and other jurisdictions from instituting mask warrants. This ordinance notably prevents school districts from creating mask policies in elementary schools where children under 11 are not yet eligible for the vaccine and have no protection against the virus other than masks and washing. hands.
Despite the governor’s assurances that Texans know what to do, many feel the mask warrants are necessary because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said masks work when everyone is wearing them, not just one person.
While people wearing face covers benefit from having one, the individual benefit increases with the increasing use of community masks, as masks block the release of exhaled respiratory particles by others who may be infected. . Masks are not just about what is safest for the individual, as the governor claims, they are meant to protect the community as a whole.
On Tuesday, one of the largest teachers’ associations in Texas, the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, called on Abbott to allow local school districts to make their own decisions about face coverings. Their request, like that made last week by the Texas State Teachers Association, has apparently been ignored.
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