'Critically important': Houston Mayor plans to mandate face masks as COVID-19 cases surge

On June 17, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a press conference that he and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo have been making arrangements to get into effect the executive order that would mandate the use of protective masks, similar to the one issued by Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. The announcement comes after Governor Greg Abbott overruled Hidalgo’s original mask order issued in late April, which required residents to cover their faces in public to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.  

In Bexar County, Wolff and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg issued an executive order that made it compulsory for “all commercial entities providing goods and services” to implement a health and safety policy within five days, according to a report by a news station in San Antonio. The policy must require, at a minimum, that “all employees, businesses or visitors wear face coverings when in an area or performing an activity which will necessarily involve close contact,” according to the new order, Mayor Ron wrote on Twitter. Further, Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed an order making protective face covering mandatory—a surprise to local authorities who called governor’s directives a threat to their local enforcement rights, as per a media report.  

As many as Nine Texas mayors, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, dispatched an official letter to Abbott for legislative power to issue orders to mandate masks in their cities. In a statement, after a state address at a press conference, Hidalgo’s office said that while the state administration was exploring their own avenues, in the meantime “we strongly urge residents exercise personal responsibility and to wear face coverings to protect themselves and others from this virus. We are not safer today than we were in March.” 

Read: Study Suggests Wearing Face Masks Could Have Prevented Thousands From COVID-19

Read: Iowa Buys 1 Million Non-medical Masks From GOP Donor’s Firm

189 new cases, 7 deaths in Houston

As of June 18, Houston reported over 189 new cases of the novel coronavirus, and 7 new fatalities were registered. Meanwhile, Harris County announced 261 new COVID-19 cases, while the projection estimates that Harris County could see more than 1,000 daily cases after the Fourth of July, according to a report by the University of Pennsylvania. The medical director for the Houston Health Department, Dr. David Persse, was quoted saying that recent uptick in emergency room visits in Houston concerned him exceedingly.  

Read: Despite Coronavirus Surge, Arizona Governor Won’t Require Masks

Read: Dr Fauci Gives Simple Reason Why US Did Not Advise People To Wear Covid Masks At The Start

(image Credit: Twitter/ Mayor Sylvester Turner)