EL PASO, Texas — The City of El Paso has been granted a temporary restraining order against Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask mandate ban, allowing the city to continue with its mask protocol that went into effect Wednesday, Aug. 18. Masks must be worn while in any indoor facility.
Judge Ruben Morales granted the petition that El Paso filed on Tuesday, Aug. 17. This restraining order deems that GA-38 exceeds the governor’s authority under the Texas Disaster Act of 1975.
On Monday, Aug. 16, El Paso City Council voted in favor of filing a lawsuit against Gov. Abbott and his mask mandate ban in order to impose a countywide mask mandate. This means that anyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask indoors, unless they have trouble breathing or a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a face covering.
El Paso City-County Health Authority Hector Ocaranza reminds everyone that social distancing and handwashing are important practices to continue undertaking, and that wearing a face covering is not a substitution for the COVID vaccination.
Gov. Abbott has yet to respond to the development. The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday sided with the governor’s executive orders banning agencies that receive state dollars from implementing mask mandates. The court’s decision prohibits Bexar and Dallas counties from enforcing mask mandates.