A COVID-19 safety sign last year in Austin. With the statewide mask mandate ending next week, businesses across Texas must now decide whether to require customers to wear face coverings in their establishments. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune

Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day’s latest updates. 

As small-business owners and managers across Texas went to work Wednesday morning, they faced yet another 2021 headache: deal with losing business from customers who don’t want to wear face masks during the pandemic or from patrons who will only frequent places that require them.

The dilemma was abruptly thrust upon them after Gov. Greg Abbott announced yesterday afternoon that the state will lift its mask mandate and allow all businesses to operate at 100% capacity starting March 10.

Some businesses barely had an opportunity to reopen after last month’s deadly winter storm and power outage crisis before hearing about this massive change to the state’s COVID-19 safety protocols.

“I do feel that we’ll probably lose guests based on whatever decision we do make, but I guess that’s just part of the environment that we are in now,” said Jessica Johnson, general manager of Sichuan House in San Antonio. “It’s either you wear masks and piss a couple of people off, or you don’t wear masks and you piss a couple of people off.”

At least one business owner, Macy Moore of HopFusion Ale Works in Fort Worth, said Wednesday on CNN that he had not slept since Abbott’s announcement because he’s so worried about the health and safety of his staff. Others, like Anne Ng of Bakery Lorraine in San Antonio, have decided to keep mask requirements in place for staff and customers regardless of what Abbott and the state government said.

“By repealing the mandate, the government is putting everyone at risk, and food service workers are sadly at the front lines in facing potential hostility from folks who will refuse to respect our mask policy,” Ng said. “We don’t deserve that.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, filed legislation last week that would prevent any business entities from being held liable for exposing people to pandemic illnesses. That provision in House Bill 3 is one of Abbott’s top priorities for this year’s legislative session. The governor was joined by Burrows in Lubbock on Tuesday when announcing plans to rescind many coronavirus restrictions against the advice of federal and local health officials.

Health experts are still urging Texans to keep wearing masks as new and more contagious variants of the virus emerge. Hospitalizations continue to decrease after January record highs, but the state is also still averaging more than 200 deaths a day.

Because the state’s mask mandate will officially end next week, mask requirements around the state now largely come down to the decisions made by Texas businesses. Many took to social media to announce their intentions to continue requiring masks, while others have said they feel powerless to enforce a rule without the state’s protection or support.

Christine Ha, a partner, and co-executive chef at Xin Chao in Houston sent out a notice to her whole staff Wednesday afternoon that the restaurant would continue requiring masks and operating at a reduced capacity. She expressed concern about enforcing those policies, though, because local agencies and law enforcement no longer have to support her restaurant’s safety requirements.

“This leaves it up to my team to enforce these policies, and they are in the business of hospitality, not policing,” Ha said.

Still, other business owners emphasized that all they can do right now is try to keep both themselves and their staff healthy and safe. In a pandemic world full of so many unknowns, many are choosing to focus on what they can control.

Kristina Zhao, the owner of Sichuan House in San Antonio, said most of her customers have remained loyal and supportive over the last year, and deciding to maintain a mask mandate would not deter that encouragement.

“From my standpoint, I can’t really worry about upsetting people because we’re trying to make a decision that’s best for our team and for the long-term sustainability of our business,” Zhao said.

Zhao also questioned whether Abbott’s announcement would actually change the current living dynamic in Texas. Many grocery stores and other businesses around the state have already faced frequent confrontations with customers who refused to wear masks, and anyone who wants to dine indoors has already had the opportunity to do so, albeit with a mask when they’re not seated and with reduced capacity.

Still, some businesses have already reported backlash from social media users over their decision to keep a mask requirement in place despite the governor’s move yesterday. Jennifer Dobbertin, who runs a restaurant called Best Quality Daughter in San Antonio, said that an “anti masker crowd” has already established itself in the restaurant’s social media comments.

“If you don’t want to wear a mask, fine, we can respect that,” Dobbertin said. “Please don’t come to eat at our establishments, but don’t come to the restaurant and try to fight us on it.”

Some grocery stores have even made opposing decisions about the mask mandate. Tuesday, H-E-B announced that customers would no longer have to wear a mask starting March 10, in accordance with Abbott’s order, though the chain is encouraging customers to still do so. Kroger, however, will still require any employees and customers to wear masks until all grocery workers have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, according to corporate affairs manager April Martin.

Most low-wage workers in Texas, who are often people of color, have not had opportunities to work from home during the pandemic. Front-line workers in industries like health care, building and cleaning services, social services, public transit, grocery, and delivery and warehouse work are predominantly women and people of color.

Texans of color have been disproportionately killed by the virus and impacted by its accompanying recession during the last year. Advocates have reported that these communities have also fallen behind in the vaccination efforts. And Black and Hispanic Texans are far more worried about the coronavirus compared to white Texans, according to a Texas Tribune-University of Texas poll released this week.

Christine Ha from Houston’s Xin Chao said maintaining the safest and healthiest practices certainly remains worth the small price of rubbing some customers the wrong way.

“There are plenty of people who prefer restaurants continue to follow COVID safety protocols, and these folks will be more likely to frequent and support restaurants like ours,” Ha said. “So we lose some, we’ll win others. That’s fine by me.”

Source: www.click2houston.com

In April 2020, an optimistic Gov. Greg Abbott announced at the Texas Capitol that he would soon take initial steps to allow businesses to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.

The loosening of restrictions, his team said, would be informed by a statewide “strike force,” composed of business leaders and four medical experts who would advise the governor on a safe, phased plan.

“Every recommendation, every action by the governor will be informed and based on hard data and the expertise of our chief medical advisers,” James Huffines, a former bank executive who served two stints as a chair of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, said at the time. “Everything we do will be medically sound. These nationally recognized advisers are leading experts in their fields and we will rely on their knowledge and expertise every step of the way.”

Since then, Texas has suffered through two major case surges and thousands of deaths; Abbott imposed a mask order in July, and vaccine distribution has begun to give residents a reason for hope. On Tuesday, Abbott made waves again by announcing the repeal of his mask order and declaring “it is now time to open Texas 100%.”

This time, however, Abbott’s team of medical advisers appeared to play a minimal role in the decision. Three of the four said on Wednesday that Abbott did not directly consult with them prior to the drastic shift in policy. The fourth said he couldn’t say whether the move was a good idea.

One such adviser expressed overt reservations about the move.

“I don’t think this is the right time,” Dr. Mark McClellan, a former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy at Duke University, said in a statement. “Texas has been making some real progress but it’s too soon for full reopening and to stop masking around others.”

McClellan said that he was “not consulted before the announcement.”

Dr. Parker Hudson, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School, likewise told The Texas Tribune that he was “not involved with the decision,” but didn’t comment on whether he thought it was a good idea.

Dr. John Hellerstedt, the commissioner of the state Department of State Health Services, also said he didn’t have a direct conversation with Abbott prior to the announcement, though he did say he spoke with the governor’s team. Hellerstedt told a panel of state House members Wednesday afternoon that he and Abbott were on the same page. He said the governor’s decision did not diminish safety.

“I think the difference is, should you wear a mask? The answer is absolute yes,” Hellerstedt told the House Public Health Committee. “Does the governor want folks to wear a mask and to take their own personal responsibility to do it? The answer, I believe, is yes.

The one expert on the team who did speak with Abbott was Dr. John Zerwas, an executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas System and a former Republican state representative. Zerwas said to the Tribune that he told Abbott he couldn’t say whether now was the right time to remove pandemic restrictions. But he advised Abbott that if he did rescind those restrictions, Abbott, “in the same breath,” should “continue to emphasize the importance of the public health measures that have allowed us to continue to really kind of get past this pandemic.”

“And I believe he did that,” Zerwas said.

Abbott’s order makes Texas the largest state in the country without a mask mandate. It allows businesses, including restaurants, bars, retail stores, and sports venues, to operate at 100% capacity. The move goes against the guidance of most medical experts, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think we at the CDC have been very clear that now is not the time to release all restrictions,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said of the decision.

Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, said in a statement that “the Governor speaks regularly with Dr. Hellerstedt and Dr. Zerwas, along with others in the medical community, regarding yesterday’s announcement. All were in agreement that Texans should continue following medical advice and safety standards on preventing COVID-19 to protect themselves and their loved ones, just like they do on other medical issues.”

Democrats lashed out, calling Tuesday’s announcement dangerously premature and worried it would lead to a dangerous rise in cases. State Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, tweeted that the virus has already taken a disproportionate toll on Black Texans and that Abbott had “signed the death warrants of communities of color.”

Many hardliners in Abbott’s party, including Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, have for weeks called on Abbott to end coronavirus restrictions.

Some state business leaders expressed support Wednesday. The Texas Restaurant Association thanked Abbott for “outlining a plan today that will lift costly business restrictions for most of the state where we are seeing significant improvement in our COVID-19 case, hospitalization, and vaccination numbers.”

Source:www.click2houston.com