Germany calls for Texas mask mandate to be mandated despite none being worn on ultra-diffuse jet plane

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A Texas Democratic lawmaker, who was one of six to test positive for the coronavirus, called on Texas to put a universal mask back on Wednesday — despite being photographed barefoot on the private plane that took the delegation to Washington, D.C. last week.

“We need to follow the science here,” Representative Donna Howard, who tested positive for the virus alongside five distinguished fellow Democrats between Friday and Monday, said on Twitter. “Texas needs to change course and allow masks to be worn comprehensively to prevent the spread of the highly contagious delta variant,[ecially] Because children under 12 cannot be vaccinated yet.”

Twitter users were quick to point out that Howard posed alongside her fellow lawmakers on the July 12 flight from Austin to the nation’s capital with an invisible face covering. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently requires travelers to wear a mask on public planes, trains and buses, but that authority does not extend to chartered planes.

This isn’t the first time Howard has gone viral for all the wrong reasons during her trip to Washington. Last week, she tweeted a photo of her wet laundry hanging from a hotel room shower curtain rod in an effort to convey the “sacrifice” Democratic lawmakers have made.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office announced that an aide to the California Democrat had tested positive for the coronavirus after contacting members of the Texas delegation last week. On the same day, the White House announced that one of its employees had tested positive for the virus, with press secretary Jen Psaki saying the person had “mild symptoms.”

Psaki also revealed Tuesday that an additional “breakthrough” of coronavirus infection had occurred among vaccinated White House staff, but she did not specify how many or when they were detected.

Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott lifted his state’s mask mandate in March of this year and has shown no inclination to bring him back into office.

“We’re way past government mandates,” Abbott told reporters in Houston on Wednesday. “We’re in a time of personal responsibility, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

Governor Abbott ditched Texas on wearing masks earlier in 2021. Eric Gay, File/AP

At least 51 Texas House members and nine Lone Star senators fled to Washington last week in order to prevent the passage of a controversial election reform bill by denying the House a quorum during a 30-day special session that began 13 July. Lawmakers met with Democratic members of Congress and Vice President Kamala Harris last week to push for the passage of two federal election reform bills.

For his part, Abbott threatened to arrest deputies upon their return to Texas and imprison them in the legislatures until they could consider electoral legislation and other measures. The governor also pledged to continue calling for special sessions until next year’s elections.

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