Cass County judge opts out of Abbott's masks in public order

July 3, 2020 at 9:08 p.m. | Updated July 4, 2020 at 2:47 a.m.

by None None or Override

It's hard to double the size of the Cass County Courthouse, but with the recent rains and ponding of water, a reflection in the street does the trick.
It's hard to double the size of the Cass County Courthouse, but with the recent rains and ponding of water, a reflection in the street does the trick.

Cass County is opting out of the Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's  order to wear masks in public places less than 24 hours after it was announced.

"From the beginning, this COVID-19 pandemic has thrown all of us into a world where there is no map or direction on how to navigate. Basically, we have navigated by "the seat of our pants" trying to do what is in the best interest of our residents for their health and well-being based on the information we are given.," County Judge Becky Wilbanks posted on Facebook.

"As a public leader, this has been very difficult especially due to the lack of direct guidance from the Office of the Governor and the Texas Department of Emergency Management both of which have been very ambiguous in their directives."

"I came to the preliminary decision yesterday at 4:30 pm not to opt out of the Governor's Executive Order 29 at that time after looking at the sudden rise in active cases, consultation with health authorities and others, and to allow more time to reassess our numbers. After having additional time to reassess our status and after more consultations, I have decided to opt out of the Governor's Order. If our active case number reaches the 20 mark, we will then automatically be under the Governor's Order."

"The choice to opt out of the Governor's Order does not however free us to opt out of using common sense. We must be self-responsible to do what is good and what is right. Please continue to follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC."

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