Donley County will not seek an exception to Gov. Greg Abbott’s new order requiring Texans to wear face coverings to control the spread of COVID-19, according to County Judge John Howard, MD.
Abbott issued the new order on Thursday, July 2, which requires people to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing.
The order goes into effect at 12:01 p.m. on July 3 and applies to all Texas counties. Counties with 20 or fewer active COVID-19 cases can submit a form to opt out of the mask order, but Judge Howard said he will not do so at this time.
“We are participating in a public health effort, and this is one of the best things we can do to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Judge Howard said.
The judge also reported a new positive case in a patient of the Clarendon Family Medical Center, which is in addition to another local person who reportedly tested positive in an Amarillo hospital over the weekend. Those cases would bring the total number of positive cases in Donley County to 29, but at least 25 of those are classified as “recovered.”
Abbott’s order does allow some exceptions to the mask mandate, some of which include children under the age of ten, people with health issues that would prevent wearing a mask, people consuming food or drink or is seated at a restaurant to eat or drink, people who are voting or assisting with voting, and people who are swimming.
The order says those violating the mandate can receive a verbal or written warning for a first offense and that second and subsequent offenses shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $250 for each offense. Officials cannot detain, arrest, or jail anyone for violating the order.
The complete text of the governor’s order is available here.
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