A passionate Mayor Sylvester Turner took to the podium to decry Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to end mask restrictions next week and open the state
Texas local officials blast Gov. Greg Abbott for irresponsible action of lifting coronavirus restrictions
Texas Tribune
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Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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Mayors and county judges in some of Texas’ largest urban areas criticized Gov. Greg Abbott over his decision to lift the statewide face mask mandate next week, saying it contradicts health officials’ advice as infections continue to spread throughout the state, which averaged over 200 reported deaths a day over the last week.
“From leaving Texans to literally freeze to death to letting a deadly virus have an open season on our residents, Governor Abbott has proven many times over that he neither understands the struggles of everyday Texans, nor does he care about doing his basic duty to protect them,” Hinojosa wrote.
“This will kill Texans,” he said.
Hinojosa’s Democratic ally Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo also pointed to last month’s winter storm in her response to Tuesday’s news, and warned that Abbott may be trying to distract Texans from our state government’s failures during that disaster. “At best,” she wrote, “today’s decision is wishful thinking. At worst, it is a cynical attempt to distract Texans from the failures of state oversight of our power grid.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner sounded equal parts furious and bewildered on Tuesday when he laid into Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to rescind the statewide mask mandate and to reopen Texas businesses to 100 percent capacity starting next Wednesday.