Texas Supreme Court On Sunday temporarily blocked the mask directive issued by local officials in the country’s two largest counties and stood with the governor Greg AbbottThe state prohibits the wearing of masks.
A court composed entirely of elected Republican judges approved Abbott’s emergency ruling request to block decisions made by lower courts that allowed local officials to enforce masks in Dallas and Bexa counties (including San Antonio).
Local officials in both counties ignored Abbott’s July 29 administrative order prohibiting cities and other entities in the state from wearing masks and vaccinations, requiring children in public schools to wear masks.
In the context of new COVID-19 cases and an increase in hospitalizations, the state Supreme Court’s decision marks a critical moment for state and local authorities to showdown on basic pandemic prevention measures, caused by the highly spreading Delta variant. A final ruling is expected to be issued in the next few weeks.
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Last week, two lower courts upheld the local regulations on wearing masks issued by counties, forcing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to submit the battle to the state’s Supreme Court.
Local officials in these two counties have stated that they plan to ignore the latest court ruling on wearing masks, citing the overwhelming hospitals and the surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Until the court issues a formal order that applies to the Dallas Independent School District, we will continue to mandate the wearing of masks,” said Michael Hinojosa, head of Dallas ISD, on Sunday.
The City of San Antonio said in a press release that schools in Bexa County will still need masks.
According to local officials, the mask regulations in Austin County and Travis County, where Houston is located, will not be affected by the court ruling. “Until we finally file a lawsuit directly with the governor, we will maintain the requirement that public schools need to wear masks,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown told KUT on Sunday.
In recent weeks, as educators across the country prepare to open institutions in the fall semester, tensions between parties have escalated over the issue of wearing masks in schools.
Democratic supporters believe that masks must be mandatory to prevent further increase in the number of children under 12 years of age who are not eligible for vaccinations. Republicans Critics view the mask requirement as a violation of individual rights.
“The ban does not prohibit the use of masks,” Abbott wrote in a tweet on Sunday night. “Anyone who wants to wear a mask can wear it, including in schools.”
Weekly newspaper Contact the Abbott office for comments.
