Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s statewide ban on mask mandates has hit its second legal setback, as a judge in Dallas County temporarily blocked it from being enforced amid a nationwide rise in new coronavirus cases.
The temporary order by Judge Tonya Parker issued late on Tuesday allows officials in the state’s second-most populous county to require masks indoors, despite Abbott’s July order against such mandates. A hearing on Aug. 24 will determine whether to extend the temporary order.
The top elected official in Dallas County, Judge Clay Jenkins, who sought the court order issued late Tuesday, said preventative steps such as mask-wearing are needed to combat a spike in new cases of COVID-19.
“Models predict ongoing dramatic increases in cases and hospitalizations over the coming weeks that will exceed the peak earlier this year unless behavior change takes place,” he said Tuesday on Twitter.
The Dallas Independent School District had already defied Abbott’s order, saying on Monday that it would also require masks.
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