'Abbott refuses to enforce his mask mandate ban:' Huffines criticizes Texas governor

GOP gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines is taking Gov. Greg Abbott to task for failing to uphold his mask mandate in Houston.

“I applaud the action of the parents in Houston ISD (HISD)," Huffines told Houston Daily. "It takes courage to stand up against power-crazed tyrants at any level of government. Unfortunately, since Greg Abbott refuses to enforce his mask mandate ban, it is up to the citizens to hold their elected officials accountable. When I am governor, I won’t hang my supporters out to dry, Texans will again have a courageous leader unafraid to stand up to those who want to destroy our way of life.”

Click2Houston reported that a collection of parents, West U Parent Choice, is asking the HISD to remove its mask requirement.

The news organization reported that the group wants to know why masks are needed when children as young as 5 can receive a vaccine and mask mandates are also required at Aldine, Channelview and Galena Park ISD.

"The health and safety of our students continues to be our guiding compass in all our decisions,” HISD said. “The threat of COVID-19 in our communities is still high, but we see that countywide data is trending in the right direction, including a steady decrease in new cases reported, which is consistent with trends observed in other places. As a result, Houston Independent School District is updating its COVID-19 contact tracing practices."

Abbott had mandated last July that citizens of the state did not need to wear masks while in public buildings, businesses and outdoor public spaces, while also barring outdoor gatherings of 10 or more people unless it had the backing of city leaders, according to the Texas Tribune.

The Office of the Texas Governor reported that Abbott implemented an executive order that would have prohibited school districts from forcing students to wear masks last May with any "attempt to impose a mask mandate or impose a limitation inconsistent or conflicting with the Executive Order can be subject to a fine of up to $1,000."

Huffines, who previously represented Texas' 16th State Senate District, is one of several Republican challengers to Abbott that will face off in the gubernatorial primary on March 1.