El Paso businesses grapple over whether to still require masks with no state mandate

EL PASO, Texas -- For ten days, Texans knew the day was coming and now it arrived: Texas’ mask mandate is no longer in effect and all businesses can open at 100% capacity. 

Charlie Alaniz has owned Aqua Life for more than 10 years. He said Covid-19 has greatly impacted his aquatic pet store business this past year and so he’s now happy that the restrictions have been lifted.

When it comes to the mask mandate, Charlie said it is the customer's right to make their own decision.

“If you feel that you want to wear a mask, please feel free to wear your mask coming in here,” Alaniz said. “If you don’t want to wear a mask, we are also going to go ahead and let people make that decision.”

Charlie himself won’t be wearing his mask, but says he is more than happy to put his mask on if a customer feels uncomfortable. 

“The customer is always right,” Alaniz said.

The fish expert says he isn’t opposed to going back to enforcing mask wearing.

“If people don’t feel comfortable, if the employees don’t feel comfortable, then we will probably go back to wearing our masks,” Alaniz said.

Some business owners feel like the removal of the state's mask mandate puts their business in a predicament and could cost them more revenue than what Covid-19 ever did.

“Removing statewide mandates does not end personal responsibility,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott when he announced the lifting of the restrictions earlier this month. “It’s just that now state mandates are no longer needed.”