Governor Abbott Suggests Texas Mask Order Could End Soon
It sounds like the statewide mask mandate as well as other coronavirus restrictions may be ending soon.
During a Corpus Christi news conference, Governor Greg Abbott was asked when the mask order would end now that Texans are getting the COVID-19 vaccine, according to ABC 13.
The governor responded that it was a “great question” and state leadership is evaluating it now:
We're working right now on evaluating when we're gonna be able to remove all statewide orders, and we will be making announcements about that pretty soon.
He didn’t specify a timeframe, but it looks as if we’re moving toward a loosening of restrictions here in the near future.
Another hot button issue is the order that rolls back business re-openings in a region in which the hospital’s COVID-19 patients exceed 15% of its capacity.
As of Tuesday, only 5.1% of Texas’ population had been fully vaccinated. Health officials believe 70% to 80% of the population will need to receive the vaccine to achieve herd immunity, so we still have a long way to go to get there.
LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.