Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) on Wednesday declared Texans who do not wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic face “a destiny of death.”
“Do not have a ‘remove mask’ party tonight, because you will be walking into a destiny of death,” Jackson Lee said during a speech on House of Representative floor.
Jackson Lee’s warning coincides with Texas lifting its mandatory mask restriction across the state.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced around a week ago that he would be lifting the order, saying, “Texans have mastered the daily habits to avoid getting COVID [Chinese coronavirus].”
“Make no mistake, COVID has not suddenly disappeared. COVID still exists in Texas, in the United States and across the globe. But it is clear from the recoveries, the vaccinations, the reduced hospitalizations and the safe practices that Texans are using, that state mandates are no longer needed,” the governor added at the time.
Montana, Mississippi, and Iowa have also scrapped their mask mandates, with Utah expected to follow in April.
Earlier Wednesday, White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci voiced his concern about states relaxing pandemic rules, arguing, “We don’t want to see another surge, and that’s inviting one when you do that.”
“We understand people’s need to get back to normal, and we’re going in that direction. But when you start doing things like completely putting aside all public health measures as if you’re turning a light switch off, that’s quite risky,” he told CNN.