Williamson County, Texas

The County Attorney’s office has received several inquiries regarding local governing body’s ability to mandate masks in violation of the Governor’s executive order. The governor’s executive order is still controlling law and any mask mandates by local governing bodies are illegal.

The Williamson County Attorney's Office has received questions and concerns about our local children and the use of masks in schools. This is a time-sensitive concern because primary schools start back soon. Currently, Governor Abbott has issued an executive order stating masks cannot be mandated in schools, among other places. The Governor's order is the law until such time as the legal process used to challenge the Governor's authority has been exhausted. To read County Attorney Dee Hobbs' full letter addressing mask mandates, click here. 

All individuals attending a court proceeding at the Williamson County Justice Center are requested to wear masks. Judges, at their discretion, may require masks to be worn in their courtroom according to revisions to the COVID Operating Plan for the Williamson County Justice Center. Individuals coming to the Justice Center for other business, such as visiting the County Clerk’s or District Clerk’s office, will not be required to wear masks. This clarification of yesterday’s revision to the plan was necessary given the unique circumstance that the Williamson County Justice Center is a facility shared by multiple elected officials.

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell has written a letter to residents in Williamson County encouraging those who are unsure or undecided about getting the COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated to help prevent more deaths. Williamson County has had an average of one death per day since the first death in the county on March 26, 2020. Every person has the right to choose whether or not to be vaccinated. What people who are undecided should know is the vast majority of recent COVID-19 cases and deaths have been unvaccinated people. Since March 2021, 95% of the confirmed case have been unvaccinated people. Judge Gravell describes this pandemic as the single greatest disaster we have faced in the history of the county. Read the full letter here. 

Williamson County has met the criteria to increase to COVID-19 Red Phase. The criteria set by the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) was reached on July 17. 
The TSA Region O hospitalization has also increased daily in the past week, which is the second criteria for moving up a phase. Hospitalization rate remains fairly low at 4.65% but has more than doubled in the past fourteen days. Age ranges with the most cases are those 18-30 years, followed by those 31-50 years. For more information on COVID-19 please visit www.wcchd.org/COVID-19 or www.wilco.org/coronavirus.