Murphy City Council mem­bers made a change to mask requirements at city buildings at their meeting on May 18.

The council approved con­tinuing the Mayor’s Declara­tions of Local Disaster until June 15 at 11:59 p.m., but city officials will no longer require hygiene measures, such as face coverings in city properties. But those who have not been fully vaccinated are highly encour­aged to wear masks inside city facilities.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on May 18 released an executive order removing the power of local and county entities to en­force a mask mandate, with certain exceptions that do not apply to Murphy, except munic­ipal jails.

“We are kind of in the end game,” Mayor Scott Bradley said. “We are trying to move. And we have to make a decision of the city: What is that we are here trying to accomplish?”

Many businesses are asking people to go back to offices and revert to normal, he said. The city will eliminate mandatory face coverings and social dis­tancing mandates at city council meetings.

“The ribbons on the chairs can finally come out,” Bradley said, referring to tape on chairs that separated people.

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By Don Munsch • [email protected]