Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to lift the mask mandate he or­dered a year ago and to allow businesses to reopen to full ca­pacity is being met with general support among the Farmersville business community and its lo­cal government agencies.

But there’s a catch.

“We’re opening up buildings and getting back to some sem­blance of normal,” said City Manager Ben White. “But each person who runs a meeting in City Hall is allowed to run the meeting the way he or she sees fit.”

If the person running the meeting wants to impose a mask-wearing requirement in this time of COVID pandemic, says White, he or she is free to do so.

“We just want to make sure that whoever is running the meeting is doing what they feel is right,” he said.

The city manager added that the city is not setting any over­arching rule. “We are going to go with what the state and Col­lin County are recommending,” he said.

The public library will retain the Plexiglas barriers it installed when the pandemic first hit, said White. Residents who come into City Hall will have to do business through a glass barrier the city installed long before the COVID crisis hit. White said the police and fire departments will follow their own protocols as well.

“We plan to get back to op­erating as close to ‘business as usual’ as we can,” White said, adding that “some may ask for social distancing.”

For the full story, see the Mar. 18 issue or subscribe online.

By John Kanelis • [email protected]