Effective Wednesday, Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order requiring masks will be lifted and Texans will get a hint of normalcy that hasn’t been felt since last spring.
But, Gray County Judge Chris Porter wants to remind the public that businesses can still require masks if they choose to do so.
“While the Governor has made this decision, businesses can still require that you wear a mask into their business,” Porter said. “There’s some misconceptions over the mask mandate. While the governor may have said you’re not required to wear a mask, a business can still require you to wear one to come in. Just like they can have a ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service’ requirement.
“If you go into a business that requires a mask to be worn, and you refuse, that owner has the right to remove you from their premises. If you refuse to be removed, that owner can call an officer and you could be served a criminal trespass.”
Porter urges residents to honor the requests of the businesses if they still choose to require a mask.
“Now that the governor has relaxed it, my fear is that some people are going to decide they are going to ‘take a stand,’” Porter said. “That business owner can still require everybody to wear a mask. That’s part of the deal. If you go into a business and they require a mask, and you think because the governor has relaxed the mask mandate and you can just do whatever you feel like doing, that’s not correct.”
It’s also important to realize that those who still choose to wear a mask in public settings are making a personal choice.
“What the governor did by lifting the mask mandate is gave everybody their liberty back,” Porter said. “Liberty is a strong word, he gave you the option to wear it or not wear as a personal choice. If somebody chooses to wear a mask, they have a reason for it. There shouldn’t be any ‘mask-shaming.’
“I’ve been in a store wear I have a mask on and people who aren’t wearing mask are mask-shaming, cutting up and laughing because I’m wearing one. That shouldn’t be acceptable in our public.”
Porter added that part of the reason for the historically low flu numbers is because of the mitigation efforts put into place to battle COVID-19.
While state and local buildings will not be requiring masks any longer, the federal agencies are still required to have a mask, per the Biden Administration. This includes the Post Office.
“The Post Office still is required to and any federal place,” Porter said. “The Courthouse is a different animal. Inside the courts, we are requiring people to wear a mask because you’re inside the courts. But I don’t anticipate seeing any jury trials in Gray County for a while because we are not out of the woods yet. But if you come in to pay taxes or get tags, you don’t have to wear a mask, that’s within your right.”
Wednesday’s press release concerning the number of cases in Gray County will be the final daily report for Pampa and Gray County, although Porter will still continue to field the calls from the Department of State Health Services.
“We are at such a low number right now and are not seeing wide-spread COVID-19 cases in Gray County,” Porter said. “The majority of the cases we are seeing right now are in the same households.
“I will continue to get the numbers in this office, talk to Dr. Kevin Sieck (Gray County Health Authority) and dispatch to make sure our first responders are as safe as possible. But, if we get a cluster to pop up, we may put a press release out.”
The biggest thing for people to remember coming out of the pandemic is to stay home if you are sick.
“If you’re sick, stay home and if your kid is sick, they should stay home,” Porter said. “We’ve been relaxed in the past. I’m as guilty as anybody. If I don’t feel good, I’ve been guilty of just coming to work. With Covid, it’s come to forefront that if you have a sniffle, you don’t know what that is. You shouldn’t come to work until you confirm it’s not Covid.”
Porter said the pandemic started it was about protecting the elderly and of the 32 deaths in the county, about 30 of them were 65 and older.
“When you have a 10 or 11-year-old who comes home and was exposed unknowingly, and they get around an elderly grandparent at a birthday, staying the night or going to dinner, those are the people we are trying to protect,” Porter said.
Porter also wanted to thank the community and first responders for their hard work during the pandemic.
“I want to thank our community,” Porter said. “We’ve got a cooperation between Gray County, the City of Pampa and other cities in the county that is a strong bond. Everybody has had to sacrifice through this and I just want to thank the communities. The people of Gray County has done a phenomenal job getting through this.
“When we get to 100 percent normal we will be better people because of it. I take pride in the fact that Gray County has had reasonably few hiccups. That is a testament to the citizenry of the County, the organizations there to serve the citizens.
“Pampa Regional Medical Center, Harvester Health, other entities and our first responders have done a phenomenal job through this and sometimes those people don’t get the pat on the back they deserve. The City of Pampa, City Manager Shane Stokes, Dustin Miller, Mayor Brad Pingel, Commissioners Court have done a phenomenal job. [The Gray County] Commissioners Court has, too.
“I’m proud of where we are and who we are.”
