Collin County lifts COVID-19 disaster declaration; state mandates are still in effect
Collin County Judge Chris Hill on Friday lifted the COVID-19 disaster declaration that has been in place in the county since March, although mandates from the state are still in effect.
In a proclamation, Hill wrote that “ongoing business closures and government-imposed restrictions have threatened the lives, livelihoods and liberties of Texans.” Rescinding the order means Collin County is no longer considered to be in a state of disaster, as stated in the March 14 declaration, and the government is no longer recommending the postponement or cancellation of public gatherings of more than 50 people.
The declaration doesn’t mention masks or social distancing measures, but notes “declaring a state of disaster in Collin County will facilitate and expedite the procurement, use and deployment of resources.”
Hill’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The decision comes as COVID cases continue to spread throughout Texas, including Collin County, and there are concerns over new variants of the virus. Hospitalizations, however, have trended downward in many areas across the state.
The rate of COVID hospitalizations in Collin County has fallen since its peak in early January, according to data from the county. There were 272 COVID patients hospitalized as of Thursday, compared to the high of 575 on Jan. 4.
Collin County, as of Friday, has had 69,453 coronavirus cases, the seventh highest total in the state, according to Texas Health and Human Services. There have also been 712 deaths.
The county is no longer posting daily case counts to its website.
Though the disaster declaration is no longer in effect in Collin County, the county is still subject to Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask mandate that applies to counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases. A statewide order is also in effect that says if COVID patients make up at least 15% of hospital capacity within a certain trauma service region for seven consecutive days, businesses have to roll back to limited capacity rules.
Abbott said on Thursday he’s weighing ending the state-wide mask mandate, saying an announcement would be coming pretty soon.
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 2:29 PM.
