Texas Governor Greg Abbott
(Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced yesterday that he is signing an executive order next week that lays out how the businesses in the state will start reopening safely. Relatively, Texas has not reached the forecasted mid-April peak of COVID-19 cases yet.

Also, the governor explained, it is the goal of the state to concentrate on protecting lives while re-establishing livelihoods. He also added he wants the Texans to return to work, although he wants it done safely.

To date, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Texas has reached 12,186 and 248, the total number of deaths. With these figures, Gov. Abbott said that every lost life "is one too many."

Meanwhile, this stat is ranked the second-highest when it comes to the number of people with recovered patients, the government official said. He continued that the capacity of hospitals in Texas remains secure, with over 20,000 beds available and over 7,000 ventilators.

Just this week, according to Abbott, over three million masks, "four million gloves and more than 75,000 coveralls were delivered" to various first responders and health care facilities here.

Conditions in Harris County

In Harris County, even though the figures continue to rise, the governor shared, the number of confirmed cases appears to be "tapering off compared to Dallas."

He added, the recent days are way low, although a lot more details should be gathered to make forecasts for Harris County.

Also, the Texan governor said he visited the county's judge, Lina Hidalgo, and discussed with her the healthcare facility being constructed at NRG Park, and guaranteeing Harris County gets more COVID-19 testing kits. 

More so, he discussed how to lessen the growth of such cases. And, while the other counties are seen downslope in terms of COVID-19 cases, El Paso is said to "continue to trend upward in confirmed cases," the governor said.

In general, Abbott stated there are still signs of bot hope and success in the state by slowing down the growth's pace and the manner he hopes to see it drop in the weeks yet to come.

Government's Response

Another thing Abbott addressed concerning what's happening in the coming days, was his discussion with Vice President Mike Pence the initiatives the federal government has in place to support Texas.

He said he is appreciative of what President Donald Trump and the Vice President for everything they've done to help his state.

Meanwhile, with a lot of private firms now testing as well, the governor said, the number of Texas nationals getting tested for COVID-19 has increased.

In connection to this, Governor Abbot announced the Frontline Childcare Website's launch t help the essential workers in the state find child care, as well as support child care centers that can care for the children during the pandemic.

Moreover, the state leader also shared that the "Texas Workforce Commission" added staff and employees from the Texas Senate and House to help them operate seven days each week because of the overwhelming numbers of people filing claims for unemployment in Texas.

Specifically, there have been 363,335 paid claims, and the governor gave credit to the Congress and the President, who signed the legislation related to this benefit.

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