'Important that we remain vigilant': Turner renews order for city employees to wear masks indoors

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner recently renewed a mandate requiring city employees to wear masks while indoors, according to a report by ABC 13.

The mandate, which was issued on Aug. 2 and scheduled to take effect on Aug. 4, requires that all city employees must wear masks when on public property, regardless of their vaccination status.

"It is so very important that we remain vigilant in doing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Turner wrote in a memo to all city employees. 

According to ABC 13, the mayor's mask mandate comes just a week after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order banning mask mandates.

"Fully support @SylvesterTurner on this," Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee stated on Twitter. "The governor’s power is not absolute, and the Disaster Act doesn’t empower him to turn local government workplaces into COVID hotspots. Local officials are entitled to take action to keep their employees safe during the pandemic."

Abbott has previously warned that local governments trying to implement mask requirements may face up to $1,000 in fines, according to a report by Click 2 Houston.

However, a Houston city spokesman told ABC 13 they believe Turner's order does not violate Abbott's order.

Click 2 Houston also reports Houston's mask requirement comes as hospitalizations continue to increase throughout the state due to the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19.

As of Aug. 2, 6,853 individuals in Texas hospitals were diagnosed with COVID-19, the highest number since Feb. 22.