Texas Governor’s Office: County’s Stay-at-Home Order Not Mandatory

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference in Austin, Texas, on May 18, 2020. Lynda M. Gonzalez/Pool/Getty Images

A Texas county’s harsh shelter-at-home order that went into effect Wednesday is only a recommendation, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, a Democrat, signed a new mandate this week that ordered residents to shelter-at-home. It says that no law enforcement or other official “may detain, arrest, or confine in jail any person for a violation of this order.”