Officials in Austin and Travis County, Texas, can continue to enforce their mask mandates for at least two more weeks after a district judge on Friday refused to grant the state an emergency temporary restraining order, NBC affiliate KXAN reports.
Why it matters: The decision keeps the mandate in place through the spring breaks of many schools in the Austin area.
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Context: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city on Thursday, claiming the city’s leadership was defying an order issued by Gov. Greg Abbott last week that rescinded a statewide mask mandate.
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The suit alleges the governor’s order “preempts more restrictive local emergency orders.”
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The executive order, which took effect Wednesday, does allow local governments to enforce mask mandates in regions where coronavirus hospitalizations rise above 15% of bed capacity for seven consecutive days.
What she’s saying: “People have been wearing masks for a year. I don’t know that two more weeks is going to matter one way or the other,” Judge Lora Livingston said during a Friday hearing, according to the Austin-American Statesman
Yes, but: The action is not a final ruling. Livingston could still side with the state after hearing more arguments.
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