Here’s what swayed Fort Worth and Tarrant County to require COVID-19 masks
Tarrant County joined Texas’ other major urban counties Thursday when it ordered businesses to require that people wear a mask — a measure available to local authorities for at least a week that epidemiologists say dramatically reduces the spread of coronavirus.
The slower move on masks follows a trend seen during the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak when Tarrant County was one of the last heavily populated counties to enact a stay-at-home order, a tactic one city councilwoman blamed for the region’s high case rate.
Fort Worth’s elected leaders for more than a week preached personal responsibility, saying they did not want to require masks as Bexar, Dallas, Travis, Harris and other heavily urban centers told businesses that employees and customers must wear masks.
When it became clear people would not take it upon themselves to wear protective face coverings, and after Tarrant County reported nearly 1,000 new cases in two days, Judge Glen Whitley issued a county order requiring them in businesses and outdoor gatherings larger than 100.
The order begins at 6 p.m. Friday and expires Aug. 3. The mandate signed by Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price includes a $500 fine for those in violation.
Whitley had said repeatedly he didn’t want to require masks because he thought Texans would reject heavy handedness. On Wednesday, when the county reported 460 cases, he said the growing number of patients worried him, but he wasn’t ready to commit to regulation. Rather than look solely at positive tests, Whitley has also considered the number of hospitalizations, which grew by 62% in the last two weeks, he said.
He told the Star-Telegram after his announcement Thursday that he waited to get all or most of Tarrant County’s mayors on board with a mask rule. Even Wednesday some mayors “weren’t comfortable ” with requiring masks, but an evening conference call brought people to the same page.
“I think before we do anything, we have to look at alternatives and not just jump right out there,” he said. “When we get everyone comfortable, we pull the trigger.”
Fort Worth Councilwoman Gyna Bivens, who raised concerns about the city not shutting down quickly enough in March, said the government at all levels, including locally and in Washington, has been too timid with coronavirus . She believes the slow approach to regulation has put people at risk.
“I think there are certain assumptions of protections our citizens have, and we have not done right by them,” she said. “I think it will be a very, very said day of reckoning when we realize we could have done better and we should have done it sooner.”
Bivens said Price had worked hard to “use her sphere of influence” and evening briefings to warn people about the dangers of not wearing a mask. Ultimately it wasn’t enough, she said.
Price took a similar approach to Whitley, saying as early as Tuesday she believed a mandate wouldn’t be as effective as educating people about the risks of coronavirus and asking them to comply.
“No one wants to overburden businesses that are barely hanging on. No one wants to inconvenience our citizens,” Price said during a morning press conference, adding that the mandate would help the state return to normal sooner. “We tried a voluntary compliance campaign, and folks, we just weren’t seeing it. We were getting much lower acceptance here in Fort Worth and Tarrant County.”
University of North Texas Health Science Center epidemiology professor Rajesh Nandy on Monday urged officials to mandate masks. His research looking at nearly 150 counties nationwide showed mandates lowered coronavirus spread to the point where it would eventually stop, while counties without requirements saw exponential growth of new cases.
Nandy said Thursday it would likely take at least two weeks to know whether Tarrant County’s mandate was effective. His current research is attempting to quantify just how effective masks are.
“I think the old truism that sooner is always better applies,” he said, but adding that he thought the timing may not have made significant differences in the outbreak. “I think we have enough data to say confidently masks really do play a role.”
Republican state Rep. Charlie Geren said Whitley made the right move in waiting, and argued Tarrant County has not been behind Dallas and other urban counties on the mask mandate or stay-at-home orders.
Unlike other populated counties, Tarrant has 41 cities that must work together, he said, and Whitley could have caused division had he issued orders with out discussing it with mayors.
“I think it’s always good to have that cooperation because the enforcement is going to come at the local level,” Geren said. “It’s not going to be Sheriff Waybourn’s people enforcing, it’s going to be up to each of these cities.”
On Twitter, Fort Worth Democratic state Rep. Ramon Romero Jr. said he was glad Whitley made the order, but criticized the delay as politically motivated.
“Leadership is making the tough decision at the right time, not waiting until it’s politically palatable,” Romero wrote.
Whitley rejected any notion political pressure was involved in his decision.
“I went to a Republican convention this weekend, and I was telling everyone I thought they needed to wear a mask,” he said. “So, no, politics was not an issue for me.”
Diana Cervantes, another HSC Fort Worth epidemiologist, said there was likely no perfect time to issue a mask mandate.
Public health officials must weigh many factors, including public perception and partnerships. Certainly wearing a mask throughout the pandemic is wise, she said, because each step, like hand washing and social distancing, can prevent infection. But officials must be cautious not to over-mandate because some people may tune them out.
“You can mandate all you want, but you really have to balance it out,” she said. “The last thing you want to do is come in with the big guns too soon because you risk breaking up these partnerships.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 5:26 PM.
