Wednesday night, in a 25 News exclusive, Governor Greg Abbott revealed some of the next steps for the health of Texas and its economy.
From a new form of shopping to guidance on going back to Church - the Governor did not mince words when he described the need to get people back to work and worship, and the possible dangers that still remain.
But the governor cautioned that Texas will only move forward when it's safe to do so.
Texas may be one of the largest states in the country, but Governor Abbott stated that the Texas death rate from the COVID-19 is among the lowest, providing the rationale for his relaxing of orders that shut down much of our economy.
First the governor announced a dual testing regimen that will help insure the health of Texans as the economy opens back up.
”I'm working with a team of four doctors who are working on this testing and tracing format. where we will have extensively more tests available to us around the entire state so we will be able to monitor our communities to make sure that we are able to identify whether there's any type of spread as a result of opening up,” he said.
Next, after getting business and retail back up and running, the governor plans to issue a state-wide order addressing so-called stay at home ordinances.
”We are working with this team of doctors to figure out what the best strategies are where we can safely open. If we are able to arrive at these conclusions, then as early as next week, we will be announcing what's going to be happening statewide in the State of Texas,” he explained.
Travel restrictions also play a part in getting Texas back open for business, and Governor Abbott says he will also address that.
”We will be looking at easing those, and we're talking to doctors about it," said Abbott.
Finally, getting the economy rolling again doesn't mean we've eliminated the threat of coronavirus, something that filters all the way down to church attendance.”
When you go to church or any other place, you have no idea if the person sitting next to you may or may not have COVID-19.
Hence, distancing practices are necessary wherever you may be, but especially in congregations like churches, said the governor.
Now, as the governor indicated, the relaxing of those rules does not mean we can ignore many of the other practices put in place, like social distancing and others, that lower our chances of catching the coronavirus. Those practices, experts tell us, may stay with us for quite a while.
