Texas ends pandemic mask, occupancy restrictions 10 Mar 2021 - 22:29 Herb Pasternak wears a mask while dining outdoors as the state of Texas lifts its mask mandate and allows businesses to reopen at full capacity during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare Reuters LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas ended a statewide mask mandate and occupancy restrictions on businesses were lifted on Wednesday, a move some heralded as freedom and others as foolishness. On paper, Texas' rollback of coronavirus mitigation efforts is the most sweeping seen in the United States, along with a similar measure in Mississippi. In practice, vast swaths of Texas have rarely enforced mask or occupancy mandates in the past year, anyway.