Governor declares order mandating face masks
Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order declaring face masks mandatory in the State of Texas effective Friday, July 3, 2020, at 12:01 p.m. The order states that every person in Texas shall wear a face-covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial entity or other building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space, wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household.
The order pertains to counties with 20 or more active cases, not positive diagnosis. Currently, Limestone County is at 17 active COVID-19 cases.
Limestone County Judge Richard Duncan is closely monitoring the situation and if necessary will notify the public at that time.
There are exceptions to the order issued by the governor; those include any mask mandates for: persons younger than 10 years of age; persons with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering; while a person is consuming food or drink, or is seated at a restaurant to eat or drink; while the person is (a) exercising outdoors or engaging in physical activity outdoors, and (b) maintaining a safe distance from other people not in the same household; while the person is driving alone or with passengers who are part of the same household as the driver; any person obtaining a service that requires temporary removal of the face-covering for security surveillance, screening, or a need for specific access to the face, such as while visiting a bank or while obtaining a personal-care service involving the face, but only to the extent necessary for the temporary removal; any person while the person is in a swimming pool, lake, or similar body of water; any person who is voting, assisting a voter, serving as a poll watcher, or actively administering an election, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged; any person who is actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship, but wearing a face covering is strongly encouraged; any person while the person is giving a speech for a broadcast or to an audience; or any person in a county (a) that meets the requisite criteria promulgated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) regarding minimal cases of COVID-19, and (b) whose county judge has affirmatively opted-out of this face-covering requirement by filing with TDEM the required face-covering attestation form--provided, however, that wearing a face covering is highly recommended, and every county is strongly encouraged to follow these face-covering standards.
Following a verbal or written warning for a first-time violator of this face-covering requirement, a person's second violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $250. Each subsequent violation shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $250 per violation.
The governor also issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10 people and making it mandatory that, with certain exceptions, people cannot be in groups larger than ten and must maintain six feet of social distancing from others.
If you plan on traveling outside of Limestone County, it is recommended you research the status of your destination before departing.