El Paso’s indoor mask mandate in effect starting Saturday

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso’s universal indoor face mask requirement took effect as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Under the mandate from El Paso City/County Health Authority Dr. Ocaranza, anyone age 2 and older must wear a face covering (over both the mouth and nose) inside any building within county limits - regardless of whether it is a publicly or privately-owned site.

The order does not apply to those “exercising or engaging in physical activity indoors,” and allows for people to remove their face covering when eating or drinking inside a restaurant.

The reinstatement of Ocaranza’s mask mandate comes after County Court-at-Law Judge Ruben Morales issued a temporary injunction on Thursday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that banned local mask requirements.

The injunction allows Ocaranza’s universal mask mandate to remain in place until the matter is decided at trial on Oct. 7, or unless a higher court rules otherwise before then.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, in communities with substantial or high spread of Covid-19. The CDC considers El Paso to have substantial community transmission because it has had an average of 50 to 100 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people over the preceding seven days.

Below is a complete copy of the Health Authority's face mask order.

(El Paso Matters contributed background to this report.)