Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Executive Order 36 which prohibits public schools from requiring masks on May 18. The executive order will go into effect on June 4 and will supersede all facial covering mandates from local government, public school and public health entities. The executive order states that public schools can still require facial coverings until June 4. State supported living centers, government owned hospital, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and any county or municipal courts are exempted from the executive order. Texas Tech or the Tech Health Sciences Center has not commented on their decision to update COVID-19 protocols on their respective campuses.