Dawson County apparently is exempt from an executive order issued by Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday requiring all Texans to wear a mask over their nose and mouth while in public places. That’s because Dawson County falls under an exemption to that order for counties with fewer than 20 active cases of COVID-19. “As of right now this mandate does not affect Lamesa and Dawson County as we have under 20 cases of COVID-19,” Lamesa Mayor Josh Stevens said in a Facebook Live announcement from City Hall on Thursday afternoon. He said Dawson County currently has 16 active cases of the virus, which ...