Texas law banning COVID-19 related restrictions goes into effect on Friday

Editor’s note: This story was corrected to include the proper number of COVID-related deaths and to add a link to source on national hospitalization numbers.

Despite COVID-19 cases rising in Bexar County and across Texas, a new state law banning municipal pandemic-related health and safety measures is set to go into effect Sept. 1.

Starting Friday, local governments in Texas will be prohibited from implementing mask mandates, requiring employees to be vaccinated and from forcing private businesses to shut down to avoid the spread of communicable diseases.

Those restrictions on city and county action are all part of Senate Bill 29, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott at the close of Texas’ last legislative session. While the law ties the hands of municipal officials, it doesn’t restrict private entities from enacting their own rules, meaning businesses could still require customers to wear masks, for example.

Legislative Republicans championed SB 29 to appease their party’s right flank. Many railed against pandemic restrictions as tyranny, some even claiming the health crisis was a fraud. Democrats largely opposed the measure, warning that it could prevent a robust response to a future outbreak.

“I understand where this legislation comes from,” Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, said in a House speech opposing SB 29, according to the Texas Tribune. “It comes from the frustration of the early days of the pandemic. But I am concerned this legislation is potentially short-sighted. … The truth is, we don’t know what the next variant looks like.”

To be sure, the law is going into effect as COVID-19 cases continue a steep climb.

Metro Health counted 2,682 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bexar County during the seven-day period that ended Aug. 28. That’s 717 more cases than the week prior and a 710% increase in cases since cases began rising in Bexar County during the seven-day period that ended July 3.

Even so, only six people in Bexar County have died from COVID-19 complications during that time, and hospitalization numbers nationwide remain low, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Although infections are rising, severe illness remains rarer than it did during the first phases of the pandemic, according to medical experts.

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This article appears in Aug 23 – Sep 5, 2023.