Austin-Travis County leaders announced Jan. 13 new orders aimed at businesses as case numbers and hospitalizations from Covid-19 continue to rise in Central Texas. The orders could draw legal action from the state.
The only enforceable requirement set forward by the orders, which are called the “protecting customers and employees and preserving adequate workforce capacity orders,” is that businesses will have to post Covid-19 signage.
The required signage for Stage 3, 4 and 5 can be found here. Additional signage is also required for stores that have Covid-19 precautions in place. The orders go into place on Jan. 17 at noon.
The Austin orders drew swift pushback from Gov. Greg Abbott's office. It says those orders are preempted by executive orders signed by the governor last year and do not need to be followed.
“Any business would be within its legal rights to ignore this municipal order,” said Nan Tolson, a spokesperson for Abbott.
It's a similar situation to what occurred at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when Austin and Travis County mandated masks in public. Abbott issued executive orders banning such actions by local authorities, which left the onus on businesses to decide whether and how to enforce mask wearing.
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