Businesses in North Texas are now preparing for changes as a result of Governor Greg Abbott lifting restrictions. Starting next Wednesday, the state-wide mask requirement and capacity limits will no longer apply.
Some organizations have welcomed the announcement.
"Once again, the Governor is striking the right balance by removing the heavy hand of government and allowing businesses to operate as they see fit," Texas Association of Business Chief Executive Officer Glenn Hamer wrote in a statement. "One year into dealing with COVID-19, organizations understand what protocols they must implement to function safely, and TAB knows Texas companies will operate responsibly."
The governor's announcement lets individual businesses decide whether to limit capacity or require masks, and some small business owners say they will now struggle to balance decisions that are best for their health or their business.
"My fear is that by making everything wide open so soon, we are jumping the gun," says Julie Fairley, the owner of JuJu Knits on the Near Southside of Fort Worth. "In four to six weeks, we could be worse off than we've been."
Fairley has been requiring masks at her store, which sells supplies for knitting and crocheting. She has also set up hand-washing stations near the entrance and in several areas inside for people who want to feel yarn and other fabrics before they buy.
She has also been making deliveries for customers who want to buy online, but she says her sales have dropped 40% since the pandemic started. She opened her store in October 2019.
"This has been my dream. We just worked so hard to finally get this brick-and-mortar place that was all built around a community," Fairley says. "We wanted to be a whole lot more than a retail store. We wanted to be a gathering place."
She says she hopes to start outdoor knitting and crocheting classes this spring and move them back inside this summer.
"We were slowly and seamlessly trying to get our community back," she says. "Something that happened [Tuesday] causes me to think I'm putting myself in a vulnerable position with any customer who chooses to not wear a mask."
Fairley has set up hand-washing stations in her shop and will give a mask to anyone who needs one. Without a state-wide ordinance, though, she has to make the decision herself on how to handle a potential customer who does not want to wear a mask.
"I don't understand how a piece of cloth has become a political statement. Am I choosing to alienate a customer? Am I forgoing a sale I desperately need?" she asks. "I've got to enforce it, so if I have somebody who is anti-mask come into my establishment, I will choose to ask them to leave or put on a mask."
Fairley says she has masks she will give customers for free.
Abbott's order allows county judges in any region where COVID-19 patients use more than 15% of capacity for seven straight days issue local orders. According to the Department of State Health Services, COVID-19 patients were using 8% of capacity Tuesday, the most recent day statistics were available.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley issued an executive order after Abbott's announcement saying businesses there are no longer required to force customers to wear masks, but the order says businesses could still make the decision on their own.
