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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n
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- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would sue the City of Austin if it didn’t lift its mask mandate.<\/li>\n
- Texas lifted its statewide mask mandate Wednesday, but Austin’s mayor said the city’s would remain.<\/li>\n
- Texas’ statewide policy superseded any rules made by local authorities, Paxton said.<\/li>\n
- See more stories on Insider’s business page<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday he would sue the City of Austin, after it said it would still enforce mask-wearing.<\/p>\n
Gov. Greg Abbott lifted Texas’ statewide mask mandate<\/a>\u00a0via executive order GA-34 Wednesday, making Texas the largest state yet to do so. He also lifted other COVID-19 safety protocols, such as capacity restrictions on bars and restaurants.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the day before the mandate was lifted, authorities for Austin-Travis County\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0that a local mask mandate would remain in place until April 15 “to avoid another surge of cases.”<\/p>\n
The county has mandated face masks on business premises\u00a0since July<\/a>, and people can be fined if they don’t comply. In the\u00a0City of Austin<\/a>, the mandate also covers when people are “outside of their residence” as well as those over the age of six when on or in City property.<\/p>\n
After local authorities made the announcement, Paxton said Wednesday he would take legal action if both the city and county didn’t lift their mask mandates.<\/p>\n
“You and your local health authorities have until 6:00 p.m. today to rescind any local mask mandates or business-operating restrictions, retract any related public statements, and come into full compliance with GA-34,” he said in a\u00a0letter<\/a>\u00a0to Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown.<\/p>\n
“Otherwise, on behalf of the State of Texas, I will sue you.”<\/p>\n
He added that the City of Austin and Travis County “will lose.”<\/p>\n
Abbott’s executive order that removed COVID-19 safety protocol for businesses “supersedes local rules and regulations,” Paxton said.<\/p>\n
He said that only businesses could set mask mandates, and that the City of Austin and Travis County don’t have the authority to threaten fines for non-compliance.<\/p>\n
Adler\u00a0responded<\/a>\u00a0just hours later, saying Abbott and Paxton were “simply wrong.” He accused them of creating an “assault against doctors and data.”<\/p>\n
Adler also referred to February’s devastating blackouts, when millions of Texans were left without power and clean drinking water.<\/p>\n
“From the people who brought you no water and no electricity: no masks,”\u00a0Adler tweeted<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Paxton and his office haven’t issued any further updates since the 6 p.m. deadline passed.<\/p>\n
Fauci: lifting the mask mandate is “inexplicable”<\/h2>\n
Public-health experts, local businesses, and some government officials have criticized Texas’ decision to lift its mask mandate.<\/p>\n
Dr. Anthony Fauci<\/a>, the top infectious-disease expert in the US, called the move “inexplicable” and warned it could lead to another surge in cases, while\u00a0President Joe Biden<\/a>\u00a0called it “a big mistake” and a result of “Neanderthal thinking.”<\/p>\n
Some companies including\u00a0Target, Macy’s, and Kroger<\/a>\u00a0have said they will\u00a0still require staff members and customers to wear masks inside stores<\/a>.<\/p>\n