Austin restaurants and stores enforcing masks and COVID-19 protocols Mar 4, 2021, 10:45 am Launderette and sister concept Fresa's are keeping safety protocols in place. "Let's see this thing through to the end," the restaurant said on social media. --- On Wednesday, March 10, Texas' statewide mask mandate lifts, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week. The decision, Abbott said, was based on vaccine availability and COVID-19 case numbers, though it was later revealed that he conferred with only one of the state's four medical advisors before making the announcement. Reaction to the decision has unsurprisingly been divided, yet another example of how a simple, effective measure like wearing a mask has been unnecessarily politicized. President Joseph R. Biden called the decision "Neanderthal," while local city council members, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, and Mayor Steve Adler have urged Austinites to continue to wear masks until more of the population can be vaccinated. (Texas' current vaccination rate stands at less than 7 percent as of March 3, one of the lowest rates in the country.)