CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Governor Abbott's state-widemask mandate has been lifted, and it went into effect at midnight.
Businesses are also now allowed to re-open at 100% capacity, but businesses can still enforce their own rules for re-opening, including limiting capacity and asking customers to wear a mask.
Texas is the largest state to do away with its mask mandate and allowing businesses to reopen at 100%.
Abbott's executive order does have some safeguards in place if hospitalizations begin to rise in parts of Texas again.
If COVID-19 hospitalizations make up more than 15% of all hospitalizations in a region for seven consecutive days, county judges have an option to limit business capacity by up to 50%. However, judges cannot impose a penalty for failure to wear a mask.
Corpus Christi city manager Peter Zanoni says all citizens entering city facilities will still be required to wear a face mask.
The city of Austin also says they will continue to require masksdespite Governor Greg Abbott's executive order, and several national retailers say they'll continue to require face coverings in their Texas stores as well.
