Gov. Abbott urges Texas police to enforce mask order, as some balk
Gov. Greg Abbott called on police across Texas to step up enforcement of his mask order amid the mounting pandemic, explaining Friday that they can either “be part of the problem or part of the solution.”
Facing a revolt within his own party, the Republican governor tried again to sell the measure, acknowledging that face coverings can be inconvenient but saying the alternative of locking the state down again is far worse. The state on Friday reported 10,002 COVID-19 hospitalizations, almost twice as many as two weeks ago and seven times the total on Memorial Day.
Also Friday, Texas officials asked the federal government to set up an emergency field hospital in the Rio Grande Valley, where coronavirus patients are beginning to overrun the capacities of hospitals and ICUs.
“We have a short period of time in the next couple of weeks to bend the curve of this explosion in cases and hospitalizations,” Abbott said in an interview on KSAT in San Antonio. “If we can enforce this, we will be able to keep the state open and reduce hospitalizations.”
Public safety officials in several counties, including Montgomery, have refused to enforce the new order, citing personal liberties or logistical concerns. On Wednesday, the Montgomery County Republican Executive Committee voted unanimously to censure Abbott, joining at least three other county executive committees that have taken similar steps.
Democrats have separately attacked the governor for reopening the state too quickly and blocking cities and counties from taking precautions early in the pandemic. In April, Abbott stripped local officials of the ability to enforce their own mask orders.
Houston and Harris County leaders, who have been pushing for mask order since for months, are frustrated by the governor’s leadership. Mayor Sylvester Turner said he doesn’t want to add mask enforcement to the Houston Police Department’s already heavy load, spokesperson Mary Benton said.
“It would help more if all officials were consistent in their public messaging and set a good example about wearing masks,” she said. “They also should listen to local leaders who know their communities and have been fighting tirelessly to get more resources and support during the public health crisis.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo advocated even stronger action late Friday.
“If we want schools to open safely for the long haul, if we want some semblance of normalcy, & if we want a sustainable economy, then we have to buckle down — now. We need a stay home order. The longer we wait, the longer it’ll take to bring down the curve & the more people will die,” she tweeted late Friday.
Abbott finds himself in the difficult position of promoting a mask mandate that he has himself long opposed. Abbott rejected previous calls for a statewide mask order but pivoted last week as Texas entered the Fourth of July weekend amid a growing and deadly surge.
Since Tuesday, the state has recorded more than 300 COVID-19 fatalities, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis, a huge jump from just a week ago. More than 3,000 Texans have died from the disease since March.
The governor’s mask order applies to all counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases and imposes a fine only for second or any subsequent offenses. The fines are capped at $250 and are left to the discretion of law enforcement. The order also specifies that it carries no possibility of jail time — the no-jail provision has prompted at least one sheriff to declare it unenforceable.
In an interview with KLBK in Lubbock, Abbott warned that infections and hospitalizations have yet to slow, meaning more deaths are likely. He said masking in public is “our last best effort” to slow the surge before having to lock the state down again, as it was in April.
“This was a tough decision,” Abbott said of the mandate. He added: “The only way it won’t be enough is if the public doesn’t adopt it.”
https://www.expressnews.com/politics/texas/article/Abbott-urges-Texas-police-to-enforce-mask-order-15399989.php