Essential workers, activists plan to protest at Governor's Mansion on Monday

AUSTIN, Texas - Groups of essential workers and activists including Restaurant Organizing Project, Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, Austin Mutual Aid, and Texas Amplified Sound Coalition plan to gather at the Governor's Mansion Monday to protest Governor Abbott's order to lift the mask mandate.

A press release from Restaurant Organizing Project states:

"Governor Abbott has spent the past year fighting against restricting in-door dining, reduced capacity, and the mask mandate. Through executive order, Gov. Abbot is lifting the mask mandate and reinstating full capacity across the state of Texas. Abbott is declaring that the lives of service industry workers (servers, bartenders, cooks, janitorial workers, delivery drivers), food and agricultural workers, United States Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, and those who work in the educational sector (teachers, support staff, and daycare workers) are worth sacrificing to win his culture war against masks."

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Austin pushes back against Abbott’s decision to lift mask mandate

The City of Austin is pushing back against Governor Abbott's decision to lift the mask mandate on March 10.

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The event is planned for Monday, March 8 from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m .   

The Restaurant Organizing Project also says in addition to an increased risk of COVID-19 exposure, they feel essential workers now face increased risk of violence and abuse from customers who will not adhere to store policies to continue mask policies until the CDC advises they are no longer needed.

The Restaurant Organizing Project adds:

"A month prior to this executive order, Gov. Abbott advocated for COVID-19 liability protections for businesses. In short, businesses that have employees die from COVID-19 are not liable for tragic deaths that they failed to prevent through proper safety protocols. It cannot be stressed how urgent it is now that food & beverage and grocery store workers must be able to be vaccinated now. These vaccinations can no longer wait."