Houston Mayor Criticizes Lifting of Texas Mask Mandate

Houston’s mayor Sylvester Turner criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision on March 2 to lift a statewide mask mandate and allow businesses to operate normally.

“I’m very disappointed by the decision of the governor,” Sylvester said on Tuesday. “Quite frankly, to put it in very stark terms, it makes no sense.”

Sylvester also questioned whether Abbott made the decision to draw attention away from the state’s handling of deadly winter weather in February that left many Texans without power.

On March 2, Texas reported some 6,613 new cases — as well as 1,761 probable cases — and 271 new deaths tied to the virus. Credit: Mayor Sylvester Turner via Storyful