Gov. Abbott slammed by trade group head for creating chaos for Texas businesses with mask decision

On CNN Saturday, Austin Independent Business Alliance executive director Elizabeth Dixie Patrick slammed Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) for his repeal of a statewide mask mandate without consulting health experts, warning that it will cause chaos for Texas businesses.

“We know from medical experts, from public health experts, that the moves like the ones we’re talking about here are the things that we did to increase cases,” said Patrick. “And an increase in cases means an increase in deaths. And that is just the sad truth of what is happening. So we have already lost more than 405,000 Texans to COVID and everyone one more is too many. I don’t see how this move prevents that.”

“So it sounds like there is a lot of concern, maybe a little bit of panic going into next Wednesday,” said anchor Amara Walker. “What are the conversations sounding like, and what kinds of plans are being made ahead of Wednesday when the mandates are being lifted?”

“There is definitely a lot of additional anxiety, unnecessary anxiety about what we’ll do,” said Patrick. “We’re lucky here that Austin Public Health and the City of Austin are asking everyone to continue with our vigilance, with masking, distancing and handwashing, and so the messaging from the city is fantastic and it will support local business owners in that way. We are banding together as a community to share ideas, how do we do de-escalation techniques, who can we call if something does get really uncomfortable, what are my rights? So business owners are pulling together like they always do to support each other through this new uncomfortable period.”

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