Greg Abbott, a Republican, rescinded coronavirus restrictions Tuesday, doing away with mask mandates and allowing businesses to operate at 100% capacity. The impact was immediate in both states and beyond, with "masks required" signs coming down, businesses trying to navigate the lack of restrictions, local officials pushing back and the White House weighing in. Texas and Mississippi drew extra scrutiny because they removed nearly all safeguards - Abbott declared on Twitter that his state was "OPEN 100 %. He and his family own 17 stores throughout Austin, he said, and in a family meeting Tuesday night, they all decided to keep their mask mandates and social distancing requirements in place. The effect of mask mandates is so strong that some modelers include them when projecting the deaths and infections a state will suffer in coming months.
