Trump Praised Texas For Reopening — Some State Lawmakers Don’t Agree

TOPLINE

On Tuesday morning, President Trump praised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to ease social distancing restrictions, but some mayors and local lawmakers aren’t as supportive of the move, cautioning it may be too soon and could lead to a new surge in cases. 

KEY FACTS

On Monday, Abbott announced that he would let the statewide stay-at-home order expire and allow retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls to reopen Friday as long as they maintain 25% occupancy.

“Now it’s time to set a new course, a course that responsibly opens up business in Texas,” Abbott said during a press conference announcing what he referred to as a phase by phase reopening. 

Trump heaped praise on Abbott for the decision in a message on Twitter Tuesday saying the governor is doing a “great job.”

The mayors of Houston and Austin, two of Texas’s largest cities, both addressed Abbott’s decision with caution, with Austin Mayor Steve Adler saying the reopening needed to be done “gradually” and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner saying he hoped there would be no new “spike” in cases as a result of the measures.

Trump’s support for Abbott’s decision is a change in tone for the president, who just days earlier rebuked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to reopen its economy arguing it was “too soon.” 

Still, Texas’ order differs from Georgia’s in that Abbott did not permit barbershops, hair salons, and gyms to reopen, like Kemp permitted; Abbott said a new round of reopenings could come as soon as May 18. 

Crucial quote

Key background

Abbott will still face questions about how the state will safely transition out of lockdown without widespread testing. Texas’ testing capacity remains low, even as health officials maintain that states must ramp up testing to prevent a surge in cases. 

“Abbott didn’t present a clear plan how that’s going to change, even though experts agree that widespread testing is essential to any reopening plan,” Democratic state Rep. Chris Turner said in a statement. 

In his plan to reopen, Abbott called for increasing testing to 30,000 people per day. 

Surprising fact

Many movie theaters, such as AMC Theaters and Plano, Texas- based Cinemark, and restaurants will not open their doors on Friday, despite Abbott’s order. Cinemark’s CEO Mark Zoradi said he will wait for local guidelines to be relaxed and consumer comfort with public gatherings to return, which could take “months.” 

Some workers, including Kimberly West, owner of Joe’s Pizza and Pasta in Victoria, Texas, said they felt unsafe about going back to work: “I feel like either I’m going to lose my business and everything I worked for,” West told the Texas Tribune, “or I’m going to get sick.”

Abbott is the latest governor to ease social distancing restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak: Alabama, Alaska, Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina have also partially reopened

Big number

300,384 tests have been administered in the state of Texas, far fewer per capita than almost every other state, per the Covid Tracking Project

What we don’t know

How the state will enforce the new rules. Abbott told the Texas Tribune that enforcement for his latest order will come from “the local level or the regulatory level,” adding a business could lose its license if it doesn’t comply. Still, most of Abott’s plan is composed of guidelines and standards. While the governor “strongly” recommends people wear masks, he said under his order local governments can’t impose fines on Texans.

“We will open in a way that uses safe standards — safe standards for businesses, for their employees as well as for their customers,” Abbott added. “Standards based upon data and on doctors.”

Further reading

As businesses prepare to reopen, workers weigh COVID-19 risk against the need for a paycheck (Texas Tribune)

Here’s what you need to know about Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas (Dallas Morning News)

Cinemark heard Gov. Abbott but doesn’t plan to open its Texas theaters (Dallas Morning News)

Gov. Greg Abbott to let restaurants, movie theaters and malls open with limited capacity Friday (Texas Tribune)


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