Legendary Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich is known for his strong stances on public issues. His latest public statement came after Texas announced to lift all COVID-19 regulations.
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott announced that by March 10th, Texas will be “100% open.” This also means that there will be no more mask mandate in the state.
The governor’s announcement came with harsh critique. Popovich was amongst those disapproving of the decision.
Before slamming the state ruling, Popovich understood the ruling from a business perspective.
�[Businesses are] trying to do a good job of keeping everybody safe. Of course they want to open up.”
-Gregg Popovich
Abbott’s decision came as an executive order that shocked the state and country as CDC guidelines still recommend masks and safety precautions. Businesses reportedly will be allowed to host their own COVID protocols, but that comes without government laws backing them.
Many Texans also are still not eligible for the vaccine with its phased roll-out.
When addressing the issue, Popovich didn’t hold back.
“Getting rid of masks just seems ignorant to me. We have to have instant gratification and act like the pandemic is over? We already went through this once, and now we�re going to do it again?�
-Gregg Popovich
Despite the new lack of state regulations, the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavericks will continue to follow the NBA’s COVID regulations. This includes masks when not playing, limited crowds, and COVID testing during the season.
