As COVID-19 cases continue to drop, Tarrant County extends mask mandate until Nov. 30
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley on Tuesday extended the county’s mask mandate until at least Nov. 30.
County commissioners also voted unanimously to extend the COVID-19-related declaration of disaster until Nov. 30, which allows the mask order to be in place. Whitley originally put the order in place on June 25.
The order reinforces Gov. Greg Abbott’s July 2 order, which requires people in counties with 20 or more confirmed COVID-19 cases to wear a face mask in buildings and businesses open to the public and outdoors where maintaining six feet of distance from another person isn’t feasible.
The Fort Worth City Council will vote Tuesday night on extending the city’s order, which mirrors the state and county edicts, until Dec. 1.
Tarrant County has reported 40,331 COVID-19 cases, including 519 deaths and an estimated 32,670 recoveries. Whitley decided to extend the mask order to keep flattening the curve and make it past Labor Day, which officials believe might cause a spike.
Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director, said coronavirus cases have increased after major holidays.
Whitley said the county will evaluate the situation after Labor Day, with the possibility of removing the mask mandate. But Taneja believes the masks should stay even if the rates are low after the holiday.
“I would still say it’s a safe practice to continue wearing masks, until we find a vaccine,” Taneja said.
COVID-19 data has trended down since the mask order went into effect in Tarrant County.
The county’s seven-day moving average peaked the week ending July 11 with 5,525 cases. It had fallen to 1,251 as of last week. Deaths peaked at 54 on July 25.
The county’s seven-day positivity rate, which officials described as a key statistic, has dropped to 9%, down from a high of 20% on July 7.
Taneja said 10% of hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, down from a high of 20% in July.
These statistics show that face coverings are working, Taneja said.
Whitley said it is not the time to relax. He does not want a repeat of earlier this summer when cases surged after Texas reopened.
The mask mandate is the best option the county has to combat the virus and not shut down the economy again, Whitley said.
“This is an inconvenience that can help us get past this,” he said.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 1:17 PM.
