FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD) - Whereas the statewide mask mandate ends next Wednesday, Tarrant County's mask mandate is over, effective immediately.
"They will have heard him say 'mask mandate lifted'; they will have heard Wednesday and they're going to think tomorrow," Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley tells KRLD. "And so I'm just going to say let's do away with it right now."
Even though the countywide mask mandate is over, Whitley is strongly urging people not to let their guard down.
"I would certainly recommend and ask them to wear masks if they're in large gatherings, if they're not able to social distance and do those kind of things," Whitley says. "My concern is that every time we've relaxed a little bit and we give them good news, folks relax. They do about 180 degrees on what they're doing, and two to three weeks later we end up with a spike."
Whitley reiterates, however, that President Biden's mask order is still in force
"If you're on transit, DART or Trinity (Metro), you're going to airports or you're in a federal building, you're still required to wear a mask," says Whitley.
Fort Worth's mask mandate, meanwhile, is simply being allowed to lapse today.
The City Council has withdrawn the item on tonight's meeting agenda that would have authorized an extension of the mask order.
