AUSTIN, Texas — Both Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown signed orders requiring masks in public schools and county and city buildings. 

What You Need To Know

  • Students, staff and visitors over the age of two are required to wear a face covering while on school property or school buses 

  • An individual over the age of two is required to wear a face covering while present on or in city and county property 

  • Dallas County and Bexar County that also issued similar orders this week

  • Abbott has vowed to take any public school and university to court that defy his mask mandate ban

“With our kids back in school next week, our community & public health officials have called on us to take this reasonable measure. This will protect countless lives & keep us safe,” Brown wrote. 

The summer surge is the fastest growing the state has ever experienced in the pandemic to date. The city and county said the actions are based on a rapid increase in hospital admissions, cases and test positivity rates across the community.

Additionally, the rapidly accelerating need to provide care for unvaccinated people who are seriously ill due to COVID-19 has filled intensive care units. An increasing number of infants, children and teens have experienced severe illness due to the delta variant, especially those under 12 years of age who are not yet eligible for vaccine.  

“Masks address the surge, and vaccinations will end the pandemic. To get out of this, we need to do both as a community,” said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority.  

Austin and Travis County are following in the footsteps of Dallas County and Bexar County. The counties issued similar orders this week. Austin ISD also put in place its own mask mandate. The orders go into effect as of 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 12, and govern individuals and sites and impose requirements reasonably necessary to protect public health related to the transmission of COVID-19. 

Abbott has vowed to take any public school and university to court that defy his mask mandate ban. Both Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Wednesday announced earlier they plan to appeal Dallas County’s emergency order. 

“Under Executive Order GA-38, no governmental entity can require or mandate the wearing of masks,” said Gov. Abbott. “The path forward relies on personal responsibility — not government mandates. The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.”

The Austin-Travis County area is currently in Stage 5 of its COVID-19 risk-based guidelines.