Mask On

Texas governor orders mandatory face masks as COVID-19 cases hit all-time high

Face coverings are now mandatory in the state of Texas.

As hospitalizations across the state are soaring due to COVID-19, Gov. Greg Abbott is now requiring face coverings for the state of Texas. On Thursday, July 2, Abbott issued an executive order requiring face coverings in any county with more than 20 COVID-19 cases.

The new statewide order goes into effect at 12:01 pm on Friday, July 3. Face masks were already mandatory in the state's biggest metro areas, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.

Abbott noted that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 cases have tripled across the state in just the past week alone. "These spikes are not just limited to just the big cities," Abbott said. "More than 91 [Texas] counties have had record-high numbers in just the past three days. All together these numbers reveal a very stark reality: COVID-19 is not going away. In fact, it's getting worse."

On July 1 alone, the state recorded more than 8,000 new cases of COVID-19.

"I know wearing a face covering is not the convenient thing to do, but I also know that wearing a face covering will help us to keep Texas open for business and it will help Texans earn the paycheck they need," Abbott said in a video address. "I also know that not taking action to slow the spread will cause COVID-19 to spread even worse, risking people's lives and ultimately closing more businesses."

Abbott never said the word "mask" during the seven-minute video, instead referring to them as "face coverings." He also noted that they are among the most effective ways to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Texans do not need to wear a face covering:

if they are younger than 10 years old
if they have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask
while eating, drinking, or sitting at a restaurant to eat or drink
while exercising outdoors
while outdoors and maintaining six feet of distance from someone not in their household
while driving alone or with people in their household
while obtaining a service that requires temporary removal of the face covering for security surveillance, screening, or a need for specific access to the face
while swimming
while voting or administering an election
if providing or engaged in religious worship (though it's highly encouraged)
while giving a speech or broadcast

Law enforcement have the authority to enforce the order, says Abbott, who compared it to police enforcing seat belt laws. Those caught without a mask will be issued a warning after their first offense. Subsequent offenses could be subject to penalties not to exceed $250, but he stressed that no one can be placed in jail for not wearing a face covering.

In addition to face coverings, the governor issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10 people.

"Everyone," said Abbott, "needs to do their part to slow the spread."

health city-news-roundup

Hey, big spenders

Wealthy Dallas suburb boasts the 3rd biggest holiday spenders in U.S.

Christmas shopping, holiday shopping, holiday budgets

Getty Images

undefined

Santa and his elves get busier with every passing year, but sometimes even Kris Kringle has to use his black card to get the job done. And according to a new study by Wallethub, Santa's gonna be working overtime to fulfill the orders for residents of Frisco this holiday season.

The personal finance experts have determined Frisco is the U.S. city with the No. 3 biggest holiday spending budget in 2023. Shoppers in the affluent Dallas suburb are expected to spend $3,546 this festive season.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Frisco's estimated population of 219,587 had a median household income of $134,210.

This is Frisco's first time in the holiday shopping spotlight.The North Texas city ranked a much lower No. 37 in last year's report with an average spending budget of $2,150. Way to step it up.

The nearby city of Flower Mound is a returnee, but dropped two places from No. 3 last year into No. 5 this year. The average holiday budget for a Flower Mound household is $3,485.

Six other North Texas cities landed in this year's top 100 heftiest holiday budgets:

No. 22 – Allen ($2,964)
No. 30 – Plano ($2,566)
No. 56 – McKinney ($2,165)
No. 67 – Carrollton ($1,928)
No. 77 – Richardson ($1,809)
No. 99 – North Richland Hills ($1,706)

For comparison, WalletHub provided a profile of the average consumer in Dallas. The average consumer is around 33 years old, with a monthly income of $5,450. Their monthly expenses comes out to $4,093 per month (a 1.33 income-to-expenses ratio), and their savings adds up to $13,419.

This landed Dallas at No. 408 out of 558 U.S. cities with an average holiday budge of $943, while Fort Worth landed at No. 356 with a budget of $1,013.

Each year, WalletHub calculates the maximum holiday budget for over 550 U.S. cities "to help consumers avoid post-holiday regret," the website says. The study factors in income, age of the population, and other financial indicators such as debt-to-income ratio, monthly-income-to monthly-expenses ratio, and savings-to-monthly-expenses ratio.

Shoppers will have to keep a closer eye on their bank accounts this year while they search for the best gifts for their loved ones. Many consumers are running out of savings accumulated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Yao Jin, an associate professor of supply chain management at Miami University.

To combat overspending, Jin suggests setting hard budgets based on personal financial circumstances and develop a list of "must haves" rather than "nice to haves."

"Holiday times are festive, and retailers know that festivities can boost mood and lead to a propensity to overspend," he said in the Wallethub report. "In fact, that is also why retailers tend to have more generous return policies to both alleviate concerns of unwanted gifts and buyer’s remorse. The key to avoiding holiday overspending is for consumers to take the emotions out of the decision, to the extent possible."

Other Texas cities that made it in the top 100 include:

No. 10 – The Woodlands ($3,316)
No. 14 – Sugar Land ($3,210)
No. 31 – Pearland ($2,566)
No. 34 – Missouri City ($2,517)
No. 44 – Cedar Park ($2,354)
No. 71 – Austin ($1,877)
No. 95 – League City ($1,733)

The report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

holidays christmas shopping dallas fort worth frisco flower mound reports wallethub budgeting holiday shopping

Mask On

Texas governor orders mandatory face masks as COVID-19 cases hit all-time high

Hey, big spenders

Wealthy Dallas suburb boasts the 3rd biggest holiday spenders in U.S.

Latest Dallas restaurant news roundup includes 4 openings and 2 closings

Spectacular new drive-thru Light Park will electrify Frisco for 2023 holidays

Dallas is among the 15 most 'house rich' cities in U.S., report says