ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas — After a little more than a month, masks are back to being a requirement in Atascosa County.
In mid-October, county officials were able to get an exemption from the governor's statewide order because they had fewer than 20 active cases. At that time, masks still needed to be worn in schools and bars, but other business owners could decide if they wanted to make masks a requirement inside their stores.
As of Monday, that's no longer an option. Judge Robert Hurley made the announcement during commissioner's court.
"The running total, according to the state on Sunday, was 58," Judge Hurley said. "Which means we will go back to the mask rule."
For a county to be exempt from the statewide mask mandate it must have 30 or fewer new COVID-19 cases during the previous 14-day period, according to Executive Order GA-29.
If a county exceeds 30 new COVID-19 cases during a 14-day period, the county judge will be notified via email by TDEM. Then, the county name will be removed from the state website and the county will be required to comply with all aspects of GA-29.
There are only 30 counties in Texas that are still exempt from the mask mandate.
Judge Hurley can reapply for exemption if numbers go back down.