This is one possibility, but I think Abbott did it to save face. The legislation was about to end the mask mandates for him.

We haven't had lockdowns here since May. We were only locked down for a few weeks.

Of course the end of the mask mandate hasn't changed much. Most of the businesses around me are requiring them as are school districts. Many rural areas don't wear them at all and never had, so it really depends where you are in the state.