Mask On! Mask Off!

Texas businesses will be allowed to operate at 100% capacity next week and can decide whether to require customers to wear masks.

Some owners worry that keeping coronavirus restrictions in place could anger customers. https://t.co/7whxE204Ya

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) March 6, 2021

Gov. Absent: 

"[In] regard to the mask mandate, we are still urging people to continue to wear the mask, to continue to use the safe practices that they have mastered over the past year," he said. "Because Texans have mastered the safe strategies [inaudible] they know the right thing to do." 

Sure they will:

State and local leaders, along with health care workers, will gather Sunday to condemn and demand a “Mask Off” party at a local nightclub located on Washington Avenue be canceled. 

“Having a mask off party in the middle of a city that has every potential variant of the COVID disease spreading is not only irresponsible but deadly,” said State Rep. Ann Johnson of the Texas House District 134, which includes parts of west Houston, West University and Bellaire. 

The event was promoted by Concrete Cowboy and scheduled for Wednesday, the first day Gov. Greg Abbott’s order goes into effect lifting public health measures. 

“Let me just encourage people to kind of slow down. Be patient a little bit longer. Let’s make sure we get the vaccines in people’s arms before we open the gates and start acting as if everything is fine,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Every person who attends stupid events like a “Mask Off” party is going to spread COVID to others, whether the party goers get sick or not.  There’s the personal “right thing to do,” and there’s the social/public health “right thing to do.”