BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he is ending the mask mandate on March 10th. Effective Wednesday, businesses will be allowed to open back up to 100%.
Not everyone in Texas was excited for the announcement today.
"We know that masks are one of the only tools we have to block the spread of SARS COV2, it's a physical barrier, it literally stops the virus from going in one person's mouth and into the next mouth," said Texas A&M Epidemiologist Rebecca Fischer.
Fischer said at a time like a global pandemic, it's important to understand information from all sides, like those who specialize in the healthcare field.
"The governor lifted these orders, but our public health experts in the nation are telling us we need to keep doing this [wearing masks]," said Fischer.
"So that plea for personal responsibility is to do the right thing Texans and doing the right things in this pandemic situation is keep that mask on."
On a local level, KAGS spoke with Brazos County Judge Duane Peters and he is remaining cautiously optimistic.
Judge Peters says if COVID-19 hospitalization rates surpass more than 15% for seven consecutive days on the local level, he can then impose restrictions once again.
"My hope would be that we never get above 15% for 7 days and we'll just move on through this thing and go back to a normal kind of life," said Judge Peters adding, "but, that's all to be seen."
What about spring break? The significant week is right around the corner. Judge Peters said people can still take the necessary precautions.
"If you're in one of the vulnerable groups that have a higher percentage of actually catching it [COVID-19], you probably should continue to wear a mask," said Judge Peters.