Don’t get confused as Texas mask mandate ends: Wear one. Don’t be a jerk.
Texas’ face-mask mandate formally ends Wednesday, after a week of chatter that still has people wondering about the rules and how they should respond.
At the same time, there’s a flood of news about the COVID-19 vaccines and efforts to distribute them.
A year into the pandemic, even as the number of cases and deaths wanes, there’s plenty of confusion around the virus. It remains critical that our leaders spread consistent, clear messages. And where government falls short, other institutions should step up, especially when it comes to masks.
Public health leaders continue to advise wearing masks in public situations and avoiding large gatherings. Gov. Greg Abbott has regrettably left it to businesses to enforce the obvious.
Fort Worth is off to a good start. The “Stay Strong: Together We Win” campaign is giving restaurants, public attractions and other businesses support as they ask customers to take precautions. The campaign, led by the Fort Worth Chamber, Visit Fort Worth and other groups, projects solidarity. That’s especially important for struggling small businesses that can’t afford to lose any more customers.
Using masks isn’t just about generally slowing the spread of the virus. It’s about protecting other people, and in the case of restaurants, those who are more vulnerable simply by interacting with the public so much. Servers, cooks and others deserve your respect for their health, and if businesses standing together to demand it helps protect them, it’s worth it.
As with so much of life, the best way to handle this change is, simply, don’t be a jerk. If you celebrate Abbott’s decision as liberation from masks, fine. But remember, businesses can exercise their liberty to require patrons to wear them. And in turn, you are free to shop or eat somewhere else if you just can’t bear the mask.
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Governments, including the city and the county, are also reinforcing the right message by requiring masks in public facilities.
On vaccines, the federal government’s guidance on safe activities for the inoculated, issued Monday, offers hope that more people will sign up. For too long, officials were suggesting that vaccination wouldn’t offer much relief from the pandemic’s social isolation. It’s as if they couldn’t see the obvious logical response: If I can’t get back to normal, why should I get the shots?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines make clear that vaccinated people have more options for seeing others, including family members with low levels of risk. Other parts of the guidance are complicated, particularly around how vaccinated people must respond to a COVID-19 exposure.
“They couldn’t write it any more confusingly,” county public health director Vinny Taneja said Tuesday as he tried to explain the CDC’s advice to county commissioners.
Local messages have been muddled, too. Confusion remains about how to get the vaccine and whether the distribution has been fair. The good news is that more doses will soon be on the way, county partners are launching efforts to reach more of Tarrant County and prepare new sites to distribute vaccines when large amounts of doses become available.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a deal with a medical firm to set up more stations — perhaps drive-through sites or mobile clinics. They briefly discussed whether they were splintering the effort too much, having also enlisted the UNT Health Science Center to help with communication, clinic set-ups and other tasks. But if the enlarged capacity lets the county move nimbly when large quantities of vaccines start arriving, good.
While there seem to be a lot of moving parts, for the individual, the advice remains the same: register with the county — once only — for the vaccine. But also check in with pharmacy chains to see if you can get an appointment. If you’re willing to drive, register with neighboring counties, too.
And of course, the simplest thing one can do is be just a little more patient and neighborly. Honor business’ requests to wear masks.