TYLER, Texas — Come Wednesday, March 10, Governor Greg Abbott's mask mandate will no longer be in effect, and everyone is reacting to that news differently including Culture ETX in Tyler.
"While we agree with him releasing the mandate, we don't really feel that it's safe yet," Lance McWhorter, owner of Culture ETX, said.
McWhorter is just one restaurant owner figuring out how they should operate once the mask mandate disappears. They've decided to continue operating at 75% capacity with masks still being required.
"We feel that it is in the best interest of our staffs' health, and that's what we need to do," Mcwhorter said. "If they get sick, what happens? If I get sick, what happens?"
Restaurants aren't the only places thinking about what's coming next. At The Oil Palace, a hot spot for concerts in East Texas, they've also asked themselves what's next.
"I'm a little surprised that, that the governor completely lifted all mandates and including the mask mandate, but at the same time, we're happy to get back to work," Kevin Barbaro, spokesperson for The Oil Palace, said.
Barbaro says they've been operating at 50% capacity in a building that holds 7,000.
At Thursday's concert for TobyMac, they'll stick at this percentage and require masks. However, their next concert won't look the same.
"Even though there's no mask mandate, after this concert, it's still our recommendation, that you wear a mask," Barbaro said.
Future concerts will open at full capacity, and while they recommend masks, they won't enforce them at future concerts.
