It has been about a year since people started hoarding toilet paper and stocking up on disposable face masks. It has been a year since DIY face mask making became a thing, and social distancing entered our vocabulary.

During this past year, we saw businesses close, some of which will never reopen. We saw people argue about whether or not face masks are effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19. We saw state governors make drastically different decisions about what limitations to put on businesses and how to best protect their citizens.

Now, with multiple COVID-19 vaccines available, some people are starting to feel safer and see an end to all of the restrictions and lockdowns. Yet, other people feel that it is too early to stop wearing face masks and go back to business as usual.

As we saw different states impose different restrictions, we are now seeing some states completely remove all restrictions on businesses. For example, Iowa, Montana and North Dakota have all announced that they are no longer requiring face masks. Texas has recently joined that list.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an important announcement at Montelongo’s Mexican Restaurant in Lubbock, Texas, on March 2, 2021. The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce was there to listen to his message as well as business owners and community leaders.

Governor Abbott announced that on March, 10, 2021, the state of Texas would no longer require anyone to wear a face mask, and all businesses will be able to open at 100% capacity. Watch the video below for more about Governor Abbott’s announcement and what it means for Texas.

Texas has been under a mask mandate since July, but it has not always been enforced. Some police officers even refused to enforce the mandate.

Governor Abbott explained that he’s removing restrictions and ending the mask mandate partly due to vaccinations and lower COVID-19 numbers. Yet, some people feel that it’s too soon to make these changes. Before he made the announcement, some lawmakers tried to change his mind.

One concern some Texans have is that the winter storm forced some people who lost power to ignore social distancing and stay with friends or neighbors who had heat. They fear there will soon be a new spike in COVID-19 cases as a result.

Do you think Governor Abbott made the right decision? Do you think Texans will choose to continue to wear face masks even if they don’t have to? Do you think there will be a new spike in COVID-19 cases in Texas as a result of the unusual winter weather the state recently experienced?