Mayor Eric Johnson wants mandatory face masks on city buildings

Dallas will still require people to wear masks inside city buildings, after Gov. Greg Abbott announced that masks will no longer be required starting next week.

Mayor Eric Johnson said an emergency order was being written and the city attorney was going to review it, to make sure they can do it. How to ensure compliance with the order is another issue to consider.

The mayor said the goal is to have an order ready before Abbott’s order goes into effect next Wednesday.

“We will do what we legally can to make sure people can wear masks,” Johnson said. He said the state does not have enough vaccine to guarantee the end of the measure to use masks in public places.

Abbott announced Tuesday that it will lift its order that mandates the use of masks for eight months and that it will allow full capacity in all businesses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several medical experts assure that the mask is the most effective way to stop the advance of covid-19.

In addition to buildings such as City Hall, police, fire stations, and recreation centers, the City of Dallas owns the American Airlines Center and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.