TEXAS, USA —
Nine Texas Mayors have asked Gov. Abbott for the authority to set rules and regulations regarding face-masks for their respective cities, in order to keep their citizens safe. This comes as Texas continues to see historically high COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The Mayors of Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, El Paso, Plano, and Grand Prairie all signed the letter.
Gov. Abbott has encouraged Texans to follow the CDC’s guidelines regarding hand washing, social distancing, and mask wearing, but has not taken any steps to require Texans to wear masks, and even prohibited local officials from imposing fines for non-compliance to mask-wearing.
But, as numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to rise, these governors have noticed many citizens refusing to wear face masks, which health officials have urged is a major way to slow the spread of the virus.
Their request is as follows, “...if mayors are given the opportunity to require face coverings, we believe our cities will be ready to help reduce the spread of this disease. We think you would agree that a healthy economy starts with healthy people. If you do not have plans to mandate face coverings statewide, we ask that you restore the ability for local authorities to enforce the wearing of face coverings in public venues where physical distancing cannot be practiced”.
You can find the full letter signed by all the city mayors HERE.