SAN ANTONIO – Face coverings will now be implemented in Bandera County due to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases.
The county, which had met the criteria for exemption under Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask orders, will require people to wear face coverings inside commercial buildings or in spaces open to the public when social distancing is not possible, with some exceptions.
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Emergency management coordinator Carey Reed said Tuesday that the county is no longer exempt after it logged more than 30 new virus cases over the past 14 days.
“Bandera County will be eligible to reapply for this exemption in 14 days if the County maintains 30 or less new COVID-19 cases during that timeframe,” he added.
Under Abbott’s mask orders, set in July as Texas saw a deadly virus outbreak, counties with 30 or fewer new cases during the previous 14 day period can request an exemption.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management states 14 counties meet that threshold.
Exceptions include children younger than 10, or people with medical conditions or disabilities that prevent them from wearing a face covering. The rest of the exceptions can be seen below:
The city of Bandera on Monday reported 42 active cases, 322 recoveries and three deaths related to the virus in the county.
Meanwhile, Texas on Tuesday reported more than 15,000 newly confirmed virus cases. Texas has reported more than 23,000 COVID-19 related deaths so far, the second-highest of any state in the U.S.