Crowded Events. No Masks. Then a Covid Diagnosis for Gov. Abbott of Texas

The announcement that Gov. Greg Abbott had tested positive for the coronavirus came amid a pitched battle over public health measures in schools and a new surge in hospitalizations.

HOUSTON — In recent days, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas commemorated the anniversary of India’s independence with a crowd in his office. He mingled with hundreds of Republican supporters at a packed campaign event. He posed with the brother of the famed guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Photographs from the events show that few of those who met with the governor wore masks, and neither did Mr. Abbott, who has prohibited local governments from mandating them. So when Mr. Abbott tested positive for the coronavirus this week, Texans began questioning the circumstances that may have led to his infection and the efforts to identify those who may have been in close contact with the governor, who was fully vaccinated.