‘He only cares about poll numbers’: Texas governor under fire from police chief for relaxing mask rules

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo has harshly criticised Texas Governor Greg Abbott over his decision to relax Covid-19 mask guidelines despite the novel virus continuing to surge throughout the state.

Mr Acevedo told CNN said that the governor's decision to rescind the mask mandate would make his officers’ jobs more difficult because he anticipated an influx of calls from local businesses about patrons refusing to comply with their own guidelines. While Texans are now not required by law to wear masks in public, individual businesses can still require the face shield to be worn by patrons.

"In Texas, we have very strong property rights," Mr Acevedo said. "So if a person does not want to wear the mask and refuses to wear the mask and refuses to leave, it becomes criminal trespass. Law enforcement will be called and they'll either be arrested or given a criminal trespass warning, which means they can't come back to that business for a year."

Already there was an incident this month where a bar employee had a glass smashed over their head by a patron after they asked them to wear a mask, the police chief said. Restaurant owners have also reported to police that patrons threatened to call ICE on employees who have asked visitors to follow the business's mask mandate.

The police chief was then asked by CNN why Mr Abbott would make the decision to roll back Covid-19 guidelines even though it went against what health officials recommended.

"I think he cares about his poll numbers and the extreme to the right has a real problem with masks," Mr Acevedo said. "Quite frankly, he's going to continue to wear his mask, is my understanding, because he understands the risk to his own health. And so if it's good enough for him to wear a mask, I'm not sure why he doesn't care enough about the rest of Texans to continue to follow the science."

While some have celebrated Mr Abbott's decision to rescind the statewide mask mandate, others have criticised the move at a time when new Covid-19 variants are spreading through the US.

The governor's order would take effect on 10 March and would involve all businesses in the state being allowed to fully open.

"It is clear from the recoveries, from the vaccinations, from the reduced hospitalisations and from the safe practices that Texans are using, that state mandates are no longer needed," Mr Abbott said when announcing the removal of Covid-19 mandates.

Although wearing a mask would not be required at a state level, Mr Abbott's office said it would still be the "personal responsibility" of residents to protect those around them as the virus continues to circulate.

"Removing state mandates does not end personal responsibility when it comes to caring for family, friends and the community," read a statement from the governor's press secretary, KXAN reports.

If hospitalisations in Texas's 22 regions rise above 15 per cent occupancy, then the county's judges have the option to mandate a mask rule for that area. But county judges have no ability to penalise anyone who chooses not to follow a county mask mandate.

More than 2.3 million people have contracted Covid-19 in the state and over 44,000 residents have died since the start of the pandemic, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Texas reported its lowest number of new cases in a single day since 8 June on 8 March, but the decline in cases was potentially stalling – a trend being seen across the country.

Health officials have warned rolling back coronavirus measures could lead to another surge in the virus.