Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned in numerous media interviews today that the “worst is yet to come” and that another lockdown could be in the state’s future because of coronavirus:
As coronavirus numbers continue to surge, Gov. Greg Abbott said today that "the worst is yet to come."
He also said that if people keep violating his mask order, the next step could be another economic lockdown.
https://t.co/ahuwAnrjr7— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) July 10, 2020
“COVID is real, it hasn’t gone away”:
Gov @GregAbbott_TX doing round of noon TV interviews… first up he's live in East Texas where he's asked what keeps him up at night. Says it's that COVID-19 spreading more rapidly..main thing I need is to make sure people wear masks. "COVID is real, it hasn't gone away"#txlege
— Wes Rapaport (@wesrap) July 10, 2020
He’s asking for full compliance with his mask order in order to keep the state open:
WATCH: In an interview with CBS19 on Friday, Governor Greg Abbott said a lack of masks and a continuing spike in COVID-19 could, as a last resort, lead to "the necessity of closing Texas down." https://t.co/Oje5g0Z9Fi
— KYTX CBS19 (@kytxcbs19) July 10, 2020
And he called out local officials who are hesitant to enforce the ban:
All govt officials in every level in every county must recognize they're "either going to be part of the problem or part of the solution" @GregAbbott_TX says in response to another Q about law enf policing his facemask order.#txlege #coronavirus #COVID19
— Wes Rapaport (@wesrap) July 10, 2020
Gov. Abbott did stress that he’s not planning another shutdown at this time and is just warning of it. Via KSAT:
Abbott addressed the shutdown rumor during an interview with KSAT 12 News at Noon.
“Let me be clear about this because a lot of people are asking about that question,” Abbott said. “There are rumors out there that there will be an imminent shutdown and that is not the case.”
Abbott said the executive actions he’s already taken, such as mandating face masks and shutting down bars, should help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Abbott also extended his disaster declaration for all Texas counties, which was originally issued on March 13.
The public needs to take the mask mandate seriously, Abbott stressed.
He also extended the state disaster declaration:
Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation extending his Disaster Declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. Originally issued on March 13th, the Disaster Declaration provides the state a number of resources to fight the spread of COVID-19. #khou #HTownRush
— The Bishop (@BillBishopKHOU) July 10, 2020
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