A shouting match over mask wearing stalled a Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday as a small crowd gathered outside to protest Judge Clay Jenkins’ rules on face coverings.
Jenkins, who attended the meeting virtually from his office, offered to send a paper mask to John Wiley Price because he couldn’t see the commissioner wearing one. Price alternated between covering his face with a mask and dangling it from his ear.
“I don’t want that [expletive] paper mask,” Price shouted back from the court, which was mostly empty. “I’m 13 feet from anybody.”
Jenkins, who has said that masks would be required in the commissioners courtroom, reminded them multiple times during the meeting.
It was the latest escalation in growing tensions over mask wearing statewide.
Two weeks ago, a bailiff removed Commissioner J.J. Koch from a meeting after he refused to wear a mask in the courtroom with his four other peers, launching a lawsuit that now has embroiled Jenkins and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in an ongoing legal battle over mask mandates.
The governor, who on Tuesday tested positive for COVID-19, has been staunchly opposed to mask mandates and issued an executive order banning local entities from passing them.
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Mask monitoring
As noise from the protest outside made it hard to hear, Commissioners Elba Garcia and Teresa Daniel, who were also attending virtually, said they would go down into the courtroom.
Jenkins then reminded the commissioners anew to wear their masks in the courtroom. Koch, who was attending virtually, said nothing, but “tsked” loudly and tossed his pen in frustration.
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At several points during the meeting, Price spoke into his microphone with his mask dangling from one ear. He said he removed it so he could be heard.
In the middle of a budget presentation, Jenkins interrupted to remind Price to wear his mask.
“I’m wearing a mask,” Price shouted. He cursed again. “Hell, I just can’t talk through the damn thing.”
“That’s the order of the court,” Jenkins told him.
That’s when Koch joined the kerfuffle.
“No, no that’s your order,” he shouted over Jenkins and Price. “That’s not the order of the court.”
Jenkins has previously said he has authority to require masks at Commissioners Court meetings under a Texas Supreme Court order that allows judges to mandate public health policies in their courtrooms. Koch and state Attorney General Ken Paxton have argued that doesn’t extend to county judges, who are elected officials.
Multiple conflicting court orders have been filed since Koch sued Jenkins two weeks ago, and Jenkins has issued an executive order requiring masks in public spaces and county-owned buildings.
“I’m taking care of my business,” Price said as the three men spoke over each other. “This is not mask monitoring.”
A few moments later, Daniel was back to the budget discussion when Jenkins, now wearing a mask in his office, spoke again.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you,” he said, “but the court will stay adjourned for 15 minutes.”
“What?” Koch shouted. “What are we...”
The meeting remained adjourned for closer to a half hour. When they returned, Jenkins said the recess was necessary to talk to staff about an issue. He did not elaborate, despite Koch’s repeated prodding for an explanation.
Vaccine efforts show results
Before the court adjourned, Philip Huang, Dallas County Health and Human Services director, briefed the commissioners on the county’s vaccination efforts.
Recent efforts, including pop-up clinics and neighborhood-based events, have been successful in increasing first-dose vaccinations, he said. The county gave out its 500,000th dose of the vaccine at the Fair Park site in South Dallas over the weekend, Huang said.
Countywide, 54% of those at least 12 years old have been fully vaccinated. Vaccination has ramped up dramatically over the last several weeks, Huang said, from 15,000 weekly doses about three weeks ago to 35,000 doses in the last week.
“We’re hoping we can stay at least at that level,” Huang said.
The county is using census data to locate pockets of unvaccinated populations so it can target specific neighborhoods with outreach and pop-up vaccination clinics, he said.
The average age of hospitalizations and deaths is dropping, Huang said, in part due to robust efforts to get older people vaccinated early. Because 86% the population over 65 in the county is vaccinated, the worst cases are now in younger age groups.
“The vast majority of people getting very sick and dying from this are unvaccinated, and that’s where this is preventable,” he said. “We can impact these numbers.”
The county’s health department will set up a booth at the State Fair of Texas — near Big Tex — where people can get the vaccine in exchange for fair coupons for corny dogs or rides.
But the State Fair does present questions for the large pop-up clinic at Fair Park, especially as the Biden administration plans to announce the need for booster shots eight months after the first dose of the vaccine. Huang said they’ve already begun giving booster doses to people who are immunocompromised, per guidelines from the federal government.
The county’s 850 vaccination sites should be able to help with that extra workload, Huang said, but officials will continue to evaluate the need as recommendations change.
“We are ready for that,” Huang said. “Currently there is a good availability of vaccines.”
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