Unmasked: Across Texas, elation and caution as COVID-19 restrictions end after a year Texas Tribune Published: Updated: Tags: Roxanne Espinosa’s life changes today. For the last year, the 34-year-old mom has been masking up and avoiding taking her children to their favorite places in Hockley due to pandemic closures. But today, the statewide mask mandate and coronavirus restrictions on business are lifted, and Espinosa sees life returning to normal in her rural home in unincorporated Harris County. No more waiting for a seat at a restaurant due to low capacity, a situation normally unheard of in her town of 16,000 residents. No more avoiding places like Monkey Joe’s, where her children can expend their energy in the bouncy castles and play video games without restrictions.