AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A few dozen activists have rallied to protest Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to lift his order requiring Texans to don masks.

The Amplified Sound Coalition of music industry workers and the Austin chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America mounted the rally Monday at the Texas Capitol.

Speakers called for Abbott to reconsider last week's decision until 70% of the state's essential workers are vaccinated against COVID-19, which has killed about 45,000 people in Texas.

The state's death toll is the nation's third-highest, and its per-capita COVID-19 death rate is the nation's 24th-highest.