Texas Puts Out The Open Sign
Gov. Greg Abbott decides it's time to move on from COVID restrictions
On March 2nd, which happened to be Texas Independence Day, Governor Greg Abbott announced that as of March 10th the state will no longer mandate mask wearing and will no longer require businesses to operate at under 100% capacity. Stating that “It is now time to open Texas 100%”, Abbott’s order will include opening sporting events, concerts, and other large gatherings at full capacity.
While the decision has drawn criticism from Democrats, including President Joe Biden who referred to Abbot’s decision as “Neanderthal thinking”, it has drawn praise from Republicans and libertarians who have long opposed statewide mandates on mask wearing and social distancing. Texas’ statewide mandates were relatively lenient prior to Abbott’s latest order — since October, restaurants have been legally operating at 75% capacity and bars have been open. And while the statewide mask mandate will be eliminated, Abbot’s order strongly encourages individuals to continue to wear masks in public and states that businesses retain the right to mandate mask wearing on their properties if they choose.
My immediate reaction when the decision was announced was, how would Texans react when the statewide mandates were lifted yet businesses chose to continue to mandate mask wearing and social distancing?
On the business side, there is some surprising news regarding mask requirements. From Jacob Sullum’s piece for Reason
“Businesses are still free to require face masks on their property. Their decisions will depend on how they weigh the fears of people who are keen to avoid infection against the resentment of people who don't want to cover their faces. Reuters reports that Target and Macy's, for example, will continue to require that their employees and customers in Texas wear face masks. Toyota and General Motors likewise said their policies will remain unchanged.
The Texas grocery store chain H-E-B, by contrast, says it will urge, but not require, customers to wear masks. Its employees will still have to wear masks. ‘Although there is no longer a statewide mask order, H-E-B believes it is important that masks be worn in public spaces until more Texans and our Partners have access to the Covid-19 vaccine,’ the company said in a press release. The Randalls supermarket chain is likewise lifting its face mask requirement for customers, although it said ‘we will continue our health and safety measures such as enhanced cleaning and social distancing guidance.’ The Kroger chain has not updated its policy yet but plans to do so.”
I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to see chains like H-E-B and Randalls be open to eliminating their mask wearing policies so soon — it’s another promising sign that we may soon be turning the corner on COVID restrictions and slowly returning to pre-COVID life. I’m especially interested to see what Kroger’s policy changes will entail; I live in Georgia, which has never had a statewide mask mandate, but Atlanta area Kroger stores have required mask wearing in their stores for almost a year. If Kroger stops requiring face masks in Texas, will the chain stop requiring them in every store not under a statewide mask mandate? Will I soon be able to shop at my local Kroger bare-faced, and if so what will that mean for other supermarkets in Georgia?
Abbot’s re-opening of the state may be the start of businesses slowly returning to pre-COVID normal. I look forward to seeing how the state’s businesses handle that decision and what impact either lifting mask requirements or keeping them in place will have. With any luck, Texas can be the trial run for businesses lifting mask mandates and indoor capacity restrictions wherever legally possible.