Sources: Mask Ordinance To Be Announced Thursday For Tarrant County
UPDATE: Face Mask Mandate Goes Into Effect For Tarrant County, 'If You Leave The House - Wear A Mask!'
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A face mask ordinance for all of Tarrant County is expected to be announced Thursday, sources tell CBS 11 News.
Details of the ordinance or when the announcement will be made were not revealed ahead of Thursday.
The expected announcement comes as Tarrant County reached its second-highest daily count of new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The county reported 460 new cases, bringing its total to 9,846.
The county's highest daily count was 485 on May 10, 2020. However, this was largely due to an outbreak at a federal prison in Fort Worth.
Cases throughout Texas have also surged, with the state reporting a record-high 5,551 new cases on Wednesday.
Dallas County currently has a mask ordinance in place until August that requires face masks or coverings inside businesses. Businesses who do not comply with this ordinance can face fines up to $500.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price released a statement on a possible impending ordinance, saying "We have been monitoring COVID-19 closely and we are not happy with the trends we are seeing. We are in close coordination with regional partners and will have an update in morning."