Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state will reopen at 100% capacity beginning Wednesday, March 10. The reopening includes all businesses and facilities.
Abbott also lifted the state mask mandate, which has been the subject of conversations around the state and country. There are citizens who agree with Abbott’s action. They feel they should be able to wear or not wear masks as they see fit. Others feel that it was too early to lift the mandate.
The governor said that businesses have the right to implement safety protocols as they see fit. They may require masks and keep occupancy at lower levels if they wish.
Numerous Garland businesses have indicated on social media that they will continue to require customers to wear masks.
“With the medical advancements of vaccines and antibody therapeutic drugs, Texas now has the tools to protect Texans from the virus,” the governor said in a press release. “We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100%.”
He made it clear that COVID-19 has not gone away. However, he said it’s “clear from the recoveries, vaccinations, reduced hospitalizations and safe practices that Texans are using that state mandates are no longer needed.”
This announcement, Abbott said, is a “reminder that each person has a role to play in their own personal safety and the safety of others.”
At the time of the news conference, almost 5.7 million Texans had been vaccinated. Abbott added that the number of active cases is the lowest that it has been since November 2020.
By the time this change goes into effect, Abbott predicted that 7 million vaccines will have been given in Texas. He also predicted that more than half of Texas seniors who want the vaccine will be able to get it.
If hospitalizations caused by the virus exceed 15% of the hospital bed capacity in a Texas hospital region for seven consecutive days, a county judge can impose mitigation strategies.