The City of Austin and Travis County have been very vocal about their inability to force the general public to wear masks. Austin Mayor Steve Adler recently joined other big city mayors in requesting more local control. And on Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved new criminal charges for refusing to wear a mask in county-owned buildings.
“I don’t understand this weird ‘personal liberties’ argument,” said commissioner Brigid Shea.
The county says a criminal trespass charge would be a last resort option to force the public to wear a face covering of some sort. If a person enters a county building without a mask, they will be asked to wear one. If they do not have one, the county will provide one for them. However, if that person still refuses, and will not leave the building, the criminal trespassing charge will then be levied. It carries with it six months in a jail cell and a $2000 fine.
“You don’t have the personal liberty to give someone else an infectious disease that could kill them,” Shea said.
Shea expressed support Tuesday for going even further with enforcement, saying masks should be treated like any other public safety mandate, and the penalties for not following them should be severe.
“We have a law in this country that requires people to use their seat belts in their cars, and if they don’t, they face a very substantial ticket and fine,” she said.
The county says this decision was based on CDC guidelines.
