Local Officials Urge Permian Basin Residents to Continue Wearing Masks

Even though today is the day Gov. Abbott is lifting the mask mandate statewide, local officials are urging the public to still be diligent about wearing masks.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, officials asked residents yesterday, a day before the mask mandate is lifted, to still keep up with mask wearing.

“The state’s not going to require us to [wear masks] anymore, but that doesn’t make it any less important or any less valuable to public health advice,” said Russell Meyers, CEO and President of Midland Health. “So, we are here today to ask our community to continue to stay the course for the foreseeable future.”

He also stated that as CDC regulations are changing now that we have vaccines, and we are continuing to see declining hospitalizations and cases so it may be soon that we are no longer required to wear masks according to the CDC.

Tuesday (March 9, 2021) saw the number of patients with COVID-19 in Midland Memorial Hospital at 15 which is the fewest there has been in a while according to Meyers.

Health authority for the Midland Health Department, Dr. Larry Wilson said for the last three days there have been fewer than 20 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

But Midland Health Department reported its 241st death in Midland County this week which Wilson said is proof the pandemic is still with us.

“The biggest thing we can be doing right now is getting shots in arms and getting people vaccinated,” he said.

Bottom line is to get vaccinated as soon as you can, I have had my first shot and had no reaction at all to it, and my dad got his first shot yesterday and has shown no reaction to it either so the vaccine is safe and it will get us back to normal sooner if everyone will just get vaccinated.

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