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 Abbott's executive order comes as many U.S. states and major cities
seeing a sharp decline in coronavirus infections and
hospitalizations begin to ease the unprecedented lockdowns put in
place a year ago.
"It is now time to open Texas 100%," Abbott, a first-term
Republican, told a news conference. He said the order would take
full effect on March 10.
The order lifts all mask requirements statewide and forbids local
authorities from penalizing residents who do not wear a face
covering. It removes all restrictions on businesses in counties
without a high number of hospitalizations.
Local officials can still apply limits to businesses where
hospitalizations remain high, according to the order, but were
prohibited from mandating that they operate at less than 50%
capacity.
The governor said he was able to lift the restrictions because
Texas, the third most-populous U.S. state, had administered nearly
5.7 million vaccine shots to its 29 million residents.
See graphic: https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-TRENDS/dgkvlgkrkpb/
According to Abbott's office, by the end of March every senior who
wants a vaccine would be able to get one.
The decision puts Texas in conflict with U.S. President Joe Biden, a
Democrat who has urged Americans to keep taking COVID-19
precautions, including wearing masks, until vaccinations have fully
tamped down the virus.
CONFLICTING MESSAGES
In remarks at the White House on efforts to step up vaccine
production, Biden did not mention Texas. But the president appeared
to be referring to Abbott's executive order when he urged Americans
to continue wearing face protection.
"Now is not the time to let up," he said. "I've asked the country to
wear masks for my first 100 days in office. Now is not the time to
let our guard down. People's lives are at stake."
Referring to Abbott's order on masks, White House COVID-19 adviser
Andy Slavitt told CNN: "I hope the governor rethinks this. It's only
a small piece of cloth that's needed. I don't think it affects the
economy of the state."
[to top of second column] |
 As of Tuesday, 35 U.S. states,
along with the District of Columbia and Puerto
Rico, still mandate that residents wear face
masks in public. Mississippi also lifted its
face-covering order on Tuesday.
More than 51 million Americans, or 15% of the
total U.S. population, have been given at least
one vaccine dose, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Biden said on Tuesday that through an agreement
for Merck & Co Inc to help make rival Johnson &
Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, his administration
had secured enough for every adult in the United
States to be inoculated by the end of May.
COVID-19 infections have plummeted in recent
weeks across much of the world, including the
United States.
According to a Reuters tally, roughly 68,240 new
cases have been reported on average each day
this week, or 27% of the peak daily average
reached on Jan. 7. The United States has
recorded 28,681,793 infections and 513,721
coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic
began.
In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that
effective immediately, bars, restaurants and
other businesses can increase indoor capacity to
50% and remain open until 1 a.m.
"We have made incredible progress in recent
weeks and months, and I thank our business
community for their ongoing commitment to saving
lives,” Lightfoot said in a written statement.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago, Steve
Gorman and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Doina
Chiacu in Washington and Gabriella Borter in New
York; Editing by Leslie Adler, Matthew Lewis and
Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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