BUSINESSES ACROSS TEXAS CAN REOPEN AT 100-PERCENT CAPACITY...
AND THE STATE'S MASK MANDATE
WILL END.
THE STATE'S SEEN A -72- PERCENT
DROP IN COVID-19
CASES IN THE PAST MONTH.
GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT HAS SAID...
TEXANS NO
GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT HAS SAID...
TEXANS NO LONGER NEED THE STATE
TO TELL THEM WHAT TO DO DURING
THE PANDEMIC.
THE PANDEMIC. BUT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT-- IS
TAKING THE STATE ON ONCE AGAIN.
DESPITE THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER--
THE CITY OF AUSTIN
STILL PLANS TO REQUIRE MASK
WEARING THROUGH JULY.
KVUE'S LUIS DE LEON JOINS US NOW
LIVE FROM CITY HALL... AND LUIS - WE COULD SEE SOME
KIND OF LEGAL BATTLE
COME FROM THIS.
BRYAN QUITA--
BRYAN QUITA-- WE HAVEN'T HEARD YET FROM THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL OR GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT
YET...
BUT IN THE PAST, THEY'VE BEEN
QUICK TO RESPOND TO
THINGS LIKE THIS.
AUSTIN MAYOR STEVE ADLER SAYS
THE LOCAL RULES COME
FROM PUBLIC HEALTH MANDATES -
NOT A NEW
ORDER FROM THE CITY OR COUNTY.
BUT A LAW PROFESSOR WITH U-T
TELLS ME - THAT
PROBABLY WON'T MATTER - IF THE
STATE TAKES THIS TO
COURT.
COURT. NATS - OUTSIDE
A LOT HAPPENS BEFORE A RESTAURANT LIKE ROARING
FORK IN NORTH AUSTIN - OPENS FOR
THE NIGHT.
NATS - CHOPPING
FROM SLICING
NATS - BOIL
TO BOILING.
AND DURING THE PANDEMIC -
NATS - KEYS
IT
IT ALSO
IT ALSO MEANS ROLLING IN SAFETY MEASURES. NATS - ROLL
WE'RE FINDING THAT A LOT OF OUR
CLIENTELE APPRECIATES
THE SPACING THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY
DOING, AS WELL
AS REQUIRING GUESTS TO WEAR
MASKS
AND GENERAL MANAGER BRAD MILLER
SAYS THEY PLANNED
TO KEEP ALL OF THAT IN PLACE -
EVEN BEFORE THE LOCAL
ORDER CAME DOWN...
IT GOES AGAINST THE GOVERNOR'S
ORDER THAT
TAKES EFFECT WEDNESDAY-- TO END
THE MASK MANDATE.
WE'VE HAD SOME PEOPLE THAT
APPRECIATE IT.
WE'VE HAD SOME PEOPLE THAT SAID,
HEY, WE'RE NOT
COMING BACK BECAUSE WE DON'T
AGREE WITH YOUR
MASK MANDATE OR YOUR MASK
POLICY. AND I WAS LIKE, I
MEAN, THAT'S FINE, TOO.
SO HE SAYS-- IT'S ABOUT KEEPING
DINERS SAFE.
AND DOCTORS AGREE.
SO WE'VE GOT A WAYS TO GO UNTIL
WE CAN REALLY BE
COMFORTABLE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT
GOING TO BE GETTING
COVID. SO DOES AUSTIN
MAYOR STEVE ADLER.
WE'LL CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE CAN
WITH THE
TOOLS AVAILABLE TO US TO TO KEEP
SCHOOLS OPEN
AND BUSINESSES OPEN AND PEOPLE
SAFE.
HE EXPLAINED THAT LAST SUMMER -
AUSTIN'S CITY
COUNCIL APPROVED AN ORDINANCE
THAT GIVES THE
HEALTH AUTHORITY MORE POWER.
WHAT WE ANNOUNCED TODAY WAS THAT
WE WOULD NOT
BE ENFORCING MY ORDER INSOFAR AS
IT CONFLICTS WITH
WHAT THE GOVERNOR DID. BUT THE
BUT THE HEALTH
AUTHORITIES RULES ARE
ENFORCEABLE UNDER AN
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT AREA OF LAW.
SO WE ALSO SPOKE
TO PROFESSOR RANDY ERBEN WITH
UT'S SCHOOL OF LAW.
BEFORE THAT - HE WORKED UNDER 3
GOVERNORS -
INCLUDING GOVERNOR ABBOTT. HE
EXPLAINED THE DIFFERENCE OF
ENACTING LOCAL AND
STATE ORDERS LIKE THIS.
ANY LOCAL ORDER, WHETHER IT'S
ISSUED BY THE
MAYOR OR THE COUNTY JUDGE OR THE
HEALTH AUTHORITY, IT
DOESN'T MATTER. IF IT'S IN
CONTRADICTION
TO AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ISSUED BY
THE
GOVERNOR. IT'S JUST IT DOESN'T
STAND. AND THEY CAN HAVE
THE ORDER IN PLACE, WHICH IS
FINE, BUT THEY JUST CAN'T
ENFORCE IT WITH THE PENALTY
THE
THE AUSTIN CODE DEPARTMENT TOLD US THAT THEY'LL ENFORCE THE HEALTH
AUTHORITY
RULES - AND EDUCATE THE
COMMUNITY IF THEY SEE
VIOLATIONS.
AND THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT
TOLD US-- IT MAY
HAVE ANSWERS ABOUT ENFORCEMENT
FOR US
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW.
TOMORROW. BRYAN, QUITA--
BRYAN, QUITA-- WE REACHED OUT TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE A-G'S
OFFICE...
BUT NO COMMENT JUST YET.
LUIS DE LEON, LIVE AT CITY HALL
FOR US TONIGHT... LUIS,
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. AUSTIN ISN'T THE ONLY PLACE
STILL TRYING TO KEEP SOME RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE.
BEXAR COUNTY-- IN SAN ANTONIO--
IMPLEMENTED A
NEW ORDER TONIGHT...
IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN
AUSTIN'S.
BUSINESSES THERE DON'T HAVE TO
REQUIRE
MASKS...
REQUIRE MASKS... BUT THEY DO HAVE TO POST THEIR
HEALTH AND SAFETY
POLICIES -- ALONG WITH MASK
POLICIES-- IN A VISIBLE
SPOT INSIDE THE BUILDING.
THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME OUR
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE TRIED TO GO AGAINST THE
STATE OF TEXAS WITH COVID-
RELATED ORDERS.
IN DECEMBER--
AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY TRIED
TO RESTRICT DINE-
IN TRAFFIC AFTER 10:30 AT NIGHT.
SO RESTAURANTS AND BARS COULDN'T
SERVE IN THEIR BUSINESSES LATE AT
NIGHT-- ON NEW YEAR'S
EVE.
SAN ANTONIO HAD DONE SOMETHING
SIMILAR OVER
THANKSGIVING-- AND THE STATE
DIDN'T INTERVENE.
BUT THE STATE SUED AUSTIN AND
TRAVIS COUNTY IN
DECEMBER-- SAYING THE LOCAL
ORDERS WENT AGAINST
THE GOVERNOR'S.
THAT CONFUSION ON NEW YEAR'S EVE
LED TO A LOT OF
BUSINESSES KEEPING DINING ROOMS
AND BARS OPEN LATE
ANYWAY.
ANYWAY.
ANYWAY. ULTIMATELY-- THE STATE SUPREME
COURT SIDED WITH THE STATE IN THAT CASE.
BUT THAT RULING DIDN'T COME
DOWN- UNTIL NEW