Thread by @PatrickSvitek

News — @GovAbbott: "Effective next Wednesday, all businesses of any type are allowed to open 100%."

"Also, I am ending the statewide mask mandate." #txlege

Abbott: “If businesses want to limit capacity or implement add'l safety protocols, they have the right to do so. It is their business, & they get to choose to operate their biz the way they want to. At this time, though, ppl & biz don’t need the state telling them how to operate"

Abbott, nodding to concerns from local officials: "If COVID hospitalizations in any of the 22 hospital regions in TX rise above 15% of the hospital bed capacity in that region for 7 str8 days, then a co. judge in that region may use COVID mitigation strategies in their county"

Abbott, cont'd.: “However, under no circumstance can a county judge put anybody in jail for not following COVID orders. And no penalties can [be] imposed for failing to wear a face mask.”

Here's Abbott's executive order on all this: open.texas.gov/uploads/files/…

Abbott's order makes clear the lifting of the statewide mask mandate is also effective next Wednesday (March 10). (That initially wasn't clear to me from his remarks.)

Also, if county restrictions are triggered, local officials still must allow businesses to operate at at least 50% capacity, per Abbott/EO

Also: “Nothing in this executive order precludes businesses or other establishments from requiring employees or customers to follow additional hygiene measures, including the wear of a face covering.”