“The health and safety of our fans, artists, partners, staff and the entire Austin community remains our highest priority,” festival organizers said Wednesday in a statement canceling the popular festival.

The bar owners say in the lawsuit that Abbott’s order violates their constitutional rights and “may very well leave long-term scarring on the Republican form of government if left unchecked.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, local officials across the state implemented stay-at-home orders for their regions. But now, with cases across Texas’ metros surging, those leaders say Abbott has stripped them of the authority to reinstate the same measures.