Fayette County Still Under Mask Mandate

But Judge Would Ask For Waiver if County Goes Below 20 Active+Probable Cases

Fayette County remains under a mask mandate.

County Judge Joe Weber told the Record on Wednesday that he has received requests from citizens to ask Governor Greg Abbott for an exemption to the statewide mask mandate.

“I concur,” Weber said. “I don’t think governments should be mandating masks. I think it’s important that you wear them, particularly if you find yourself in an environment that’s very crowded. But to mandate wearing a mask all the time, I don’t think that’s the government’s business. I’m not going to do that. But our governor has, and we’re going to obey the law, at least I hope we do.”

Abbott’s mask order issued on July 2 included a provision for counties with fewer than 20 active cases of coronavirus to apply for an exemption to the mask order. So far, a few West Texas and Panhandle counties have been exempted from the order.

“I don’t predict us being under 20 cases anytime soon,” Weber said. “Maybe some of these counties out in West Texas can get there.”

Weber said that he would ask for a waiver if Fayette County’s positive case numbers dipped below 20.

“Twenty people would be a tenth of one percent for Fayette County,” said Fayette County Emergency Management Chief Craig Moreau. “That’s hard to get to.”

Wednesday afternoon, the number of confirmed positive cases was 24 in Fayette County, along with an additional nine probable cases.

“I’m looking at confirmed active cases and probable cases,” Moreau said. “Those probable cases probably have the coronavirus. They’re people who haven’t gotten tested for whatever reason, but they live in the same house as someone who tested positive. (Of the probable cases) there might be one or two who don’t have it.”

However, Moreau said the situation in Fayette County is improving. He pointed to the 4.79% positivity rate at the first day of this week’s free testing at the Fayette County Fairgrounds.

“People thought the Spanish Flu would never end,” Moreau said. “At the time, people thought bubonic plague would never end. But these things always come to an end. That’s the pattern these things have always followed. There’s no reason to believe this will be any different.”

Moreau added that the overwhelming number of positive cases are from people who had “very close contact” with someone else infected with the virus.

“When I look at the list of positive cases that I get from the state every day, its multiple people living at the same address,” Moreau said. “It’s coming from very close contact – family members, people who are dating, who ride in the same car every day. It’s not coming from casually walking by people at Walmart for a second.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease (CDC) control recently modified its guidance concerning risk to exposure. Previously, the CDC advised people to self-quarantine if they were in close contact (defined as six feet or closer) for 10 minutes or longer with a person known to have the coronavirus or exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus. The new guidance advises people to self-quarantine if they were in close contact with such a person for 15 minutes or longer regardless of whether either party was wearing a mask.

“While research indicates masks may help those who are infected from spreading the infection, there is less information regarding whether masks offer any protection for a contact exposed to a symptomatic or asymptomatic patient,” states a footnote to the CDC’s guidance. “Therefore, the determination of close contact should be made irrespective of whether the person with COVID-19 or the contact was wearing a mask.”

Weber also told the Record on Wednesday that he wrote a letter to Abbott two weeks ago requesting an exemption to the governor’s order closing bars and other drinking establishments in the state.

“I asked for relief for our small rural bars and wineries,” Weber said. “One shoe doesn’t fit all. Our bars and wineries are not like Sixth Street in Austin. They’re small businesses. They’ve been here a long time. They’re hurting and they’re not coming back if they stay shut.”

Weber said he even offered to set up local protocols and inspect the facilities.

“We don’t even have to let people go inside the bar, just the people working there,” Weber said. “They could sit outside and order drinks, those kind of things. I went through all that in the letter and I haven’t heard back from him. It’s been two weeks.”