TYLER, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott said Friday it is time for Texas to go back to work.
Gov. Abbott unveiled his plan for the gradual reopening of the state as we enter the next phase of the response to coronavirus.
He announced executive orders to relax restrictions on health care providers, reopen retail businesses under limited circumstances and create a task force to advise the governor about how and when to further loosen the strict measures enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19.
He said recharging the economy is crucial for the state.
“Paychecks have disappeared,” Gov. Abbott said during a news conference announcing the measures. “Food bank lines are swelling across Texas as more families seek food that they desperately need.”
The first step in the plan for businesses will go into effect Friday, April 24 and could affect millions of Texans. Retail stores that had been deemed non-essential will be able to resume operations if they limit themselves to pickup or delivery services, which the governor described as retail-to-go.
“This temporary plan allows you to be able to access more retailers while also minimizing contact with others,” Gov. Abbott stated. “It also sets standards on retailers, then ensures safe practices intended to reduce exposure to COVID-19.”
Movie theaters, bars, and gyms are among the businesses that will not get to start welcoming customers.
“Some businesses, if fully opened without better distancing standards, would be more likely to set us back rather than to propel us forward,” Gov. Abbott said.
While some businesses get to reopen, schools do not.
Gov. Abbott announced that all schools, public, private, and those in higher education, will remain closed through the end of the school year with the exception of online learning. Teachers may utilize their classrooms to lead lessons, organize their resources, or perform other administrative functions, but students will not be able to join them.
Gov. Abbott said the Texas Education Agency will work with school districts in the coming days to create plans for alternative graduation ceremonies.
The governor says he will rely on the Strike Force to Reopen Texas when considering when to further end limitations put in place due to coronavirus. It is chaired by James Huffines, a banker and former member of the UT Board of Regents, and features a handful of doctors and dozens of business leaders, including Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Co.
“We have a great challenge ahead of us,” Huffines said, “but the governor has assembled a team that is up to this task. This is not something that can be achieved overnight. It will be a gradual process to reopen Texas, while at the same time, keeping all Texans safe. But I assure you that this team will work night and day to restore Texans’ livelihoods and to keep the Texas economy the greatest in the nation.”
Texas is currently last in the United States for testing for COVID-19, according to the COVID Tracking Project. As of Friday, April 17, Texas had only tested .59 percent of its approximately 29,000,000 residents.
Gov. Abbott said testing will be one of the key components he will considering when making determinations about the risk of reopening the state but declined to mention any benchmarks he wants to reach when making decisions. He said a large amount of testing supplies would come to Texas in the next couple weeks.
He said another key indicator would be the available capacity of hospitals around Texas. He said there is plenty of bed space and enough resources, which will be important in the event of a resurgence of COVID-19.
“If a spread arises, it more likely would arise in a particular community, not statewide,” Gov. Abbott explained. “There may be a need to have a stricter standard for that one community, as opposed to statewide. But we can be flexible in these strategies, and businesses need to understand that we can open so long as these businesses—and all Texans—make sure they are practicing the safest standards that will prevent the spread of COVID-19. If we do that, we will be able to continue to open up our economy.”
Dr. John Hellerstedt, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, says he believes the state is in good position to slowly reopen.
“We can do it. I think we see around us the evidence that we have slowed the progression of COVID-19,” Dr. Hellerstedt said. “We may not be quite over the hump, but we should take great satisfaction and be very encouraged by the progress that we’ve made so far.”
Gov. Abbott said the next round of business openings would be announced April 27, and mentioned bars, gyms, movie theaters and restaurant dining rooms as locations that may be included.
“In these next 10 days, we will prepare a phased-in strategy to open Texas in a safe way,” Gov. Abbott said. “It will require comprehensive testing and assurances of hospital readiness for COVID-19 patients. It will focus on containing the risk of resurgence of COVID-19 and protecting our most vulnerable Texans.”
He also acknowledged that some workers may not feel comfortable returning to work when Texas is still near peak levels of transmission.
“Employees should not be coerced into returning to work,” Gov. Abbott stated. “We need to make sure that our employees feel safe and that employers that are beginning--let’s say, retail-to-go--are employing the very best strategies to make sure that they reduce any possible transmission of COVID-19.”
House Speaker Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) made a special plea to the owners of those businesses that have not been cleared to resume operations.
“We’re hitting a phase where it is even more important that we show caring and love and compassion for each other than we even already have,” Speaker Bonnen said. “As we see pieces of our economy open back up, those of us who wish we were able to maybe be back open in our own businesses have to show the restraint and the respect to those businesses who are able to start operating, so that we can continue to beat the virus.”
“Texans are battling a colossal challenge,” Gov. Abbott explained, “an invisible enemy that has tested our lives and tested our livelihoods. Part of the Texas brand, however, is our ability to overcome challenges. We’ve overcome for more challenges than we can possibly count. Together, we can bend the curve. Together, we can overcome this pandemic. We can get folks back to work.”
Gov. Abbott also announced Friday that state parks would reopen to visitors on Monday, April 20. All visitors will be required to wear face coverings, must maintain at least six feet between each other, and may congregate in groups of no more than five people.
In another executive order, Gov. Abbott reduced restrictions on non-essential medical procedures. He said a limited number of surgeries and diagnostic procedures would be allowed, such as tests for cancer.
All elective procedures had been banned in order to free up more hospital space and personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses treating COVID-19 patients.
When asked by a reporter if the relaxed restrictions would mean a resumption of abortions, Gov. Abbott said no, that it would be up to the courts to decide, as a lawsuit is currently underway.