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Today, the mask mandate and mandates on capacity limits on all Texas businesses are gone. That means that now citizens get to decide if they want to wear a mask when they gather together. It means that businesses get to decide the best practices for their business moving forward.

So what can you expect to see today? Well, probably not too much will change. Businesses around the State of Texas have said they will continue to ask all customers and employees to wear masks. Yes, there will be some smaller businesses that decide to ditch the mandate inside their stores, but even those places may be hard to find as local leaders and places like the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce ask businesses to keep masking up.

I think we will see masks mandates from businesses fade with time. Many businesses are stuck attempting to figure out what their customers want while risking alienating others. Meanwhile the federal government failed to give any type of liability protection to businesses so many in Texas are waiting for the legislature to do something.

If you don’t like wearing masks, or even if you do. Let local business owners know. They want your business and they want to keep you safe. And many are in a no-win situation. Be courteous and let businesses know what you want. Then we will see more things changing.

And by the way, it's not just businesses that may still require masks. City governments, airports, bus lines, airplanes, along with other businesses such as malls and hotels will probably ask people to wear masks. So while the mask mandate is gone, mask wearing is not.

The mask mandate isn't the only thing changing. All businesses can now operate at 100% capacity. But that doesn't mean all businesses will immediately jump to 100%. There will be many restaurants, bars, and other businesses that will climb towards full capacity, but I think many will want to make sure customers are comfortable with that happening.

Be patient with businesses and the rules they have in place. They too are trying to figure this out. And don't get mad at the employees, it's not their fault. Today, Texans get their freedom back (expect in Austin) and that means we get to decide what is best for us. It also means a businesses gets to decide what they think is best for them.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

 

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