Earlier this month, Abbott agreed to a statewide mask mandate, requiring residents in counties with more than 20 Covid-19 cases to cover their faces when social distancing is not possible.
Adler commented Tuesday that, “In some ways, my governor has been better than many in red states in the sense that he has always indicated that people should wear masks.”
The mayor acknowledged that Abbott “always advocated” for wearing masks, even when he did not enforce it, and “was willing to be photographed early wearing a mask.”
But Adler also argued that “there is a big difference between recommending that someone wear a mask and making it mandatory.” Send a completely different message. “
Top Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, have endorsed the idea of a national mask mandate to help quell the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been reluctant to wear a mask despite bipartisan pressure to do so, sporting a covered face in public for the first time on Saturday during a visit to the Walter Reed National Medical Center.
Adler said Tuesday that “messages coming out of Washington, DC” minimizing the threat of the outbreak was detrimental to his city’s efforts to contain the virus.
“The suggestions are still that” the virus is a hoax “and” not serious, “” disappears, “and” masks may be recommended, but not required. “… We are dealing with that even here in Austin,” he said. Adler.
“But, in general, we have a community that is taking a step forward,” he added. “And I just hope we can sustain that.”
