El Paso Mayor, Country Judge Pen Pro-Mask Letter to Greg Abbott

Mayor Oscar Leeser and County Judge Ricardo Samaniego jointly sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott asking for permission to have mask mandates in local public schools.

Permission is needed because of Texas Executive Order No. 36 which Abbott issued in May of this year. It prohibits any government entity from requiring masks. The order applies to city and county governments as well as school districts or public health authorities. It’s fair to think of it as Texas’ own Anti-Mask Law. Under the governor’s order no student, parent, teacher or, indeed, even a visitor can be required to wear a mask at a Texas public school. It applies from Pre K all the way through college.

• Here is a summary of the points Leeser and Samaniego make in their letter.
• El Paso was one of the city’s worst-affected by Covid back in Fall of 2020.
• Younger students are not yet eligible to receive vaccination for Covid.

Both the CDC and the Academy of Pediatrics have recommended masking for students.

Good luck with any of this impressing Abbott. In announcing Executive Order 36 Abbott said in May, “Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices”.

Since “public health authorities” are included in Abbott’s definition of “government”, he’s essentially said that even people who refuse to get vaccinated because they believe in some insane cockamamie conspiracy theory have more authority on public health issues than…y’know…public health experts. S

o, sadly, I don’t think this letter will have any effect on our governor who is much more intent on blaming Covid on (surprise, surprise) immigrants.