AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The City of Austin and Travis County have joined with several other counties and school districts across the state in ordering a mask mandate for public schools and city and county buildings, despite an executive order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that bars such mandates.
The orders go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday morning.
“Mayor Adler and I signed orders requiring masks in public schools and county/city buildings," said Travis County Judge Andy Brown in a tweet announcing the order. "With our kids back in school next week, our community & public health officials have called on us to take this reasonable measure. This will protect countless lives & keep us safe.”
Under the orders, students, staff, and visitors over the age of two are required to wear face coverings while on school property or on school buses as long as the area remains at Stage 3 or above in Austin Public Health's risk-based guidelines. It applies to all public schools, including public charter schools.
Separate orders apply to all city and county government buildings and properties. Individuals over the age of two are required to wear a face covering while present on those properties, unless specifically exempted by the order.
“The order I signed today will protect countless lives and keep our community safe by requiring masks in public schools and county buildings,” said Travis County Judge Andy Brown. “Our community faces the largest COVID-19 surge since the start of the pandemic. Kids, unable to get vaccines, are going back to school in-person next week. Our community, public health officials, and working families have called on us to take this reasonable measure. If you haven’t yet, this is the time to get vaccinated.”
Abbott's Executive Order GA-38 prohibits governmental entities and local officials from mandating face coverings. Abbott, in a tweet late Wednesday, promised to take the entities to court. "The path forward relies on personal responsibility—not government mandates," Abbott said in a tweet.