Governor Gregg Abbott of San Antonio, announced on Friday that all Texas schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year and that all campuses will close down effectively immediately.
“The team of doctors advising us have determined that it would be unsafe to allow students to gather at schools for the foreseeable future. As a result, school classrooms are closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 School year,” was stated by Governor Gregg Abbott.
He also announced a strategic measure to insure the reopening of the Texas economy while the school classrooms will be closed.
Starting April 22, Governor Gregg Abbott says that medical professionals will be allowed to provide non-essential surgeries. Which means if before the epidemic you were suffering from some sort of illness, then you would now be allowed into the hospital to seek a diagnostic test. Unlike before when it was prohibited by the current executive orders.
Additionally to the stay-at-home orders now commencing the “retail-to-go” starting April 24,Friday, all retail operations will be coming back.
All State parks will be reopening on April 20, but all visitors are required to wear protective face gear, as well as gloves. The six-feet rule still applies, as well as no gatherings bigger than five people maximum.
Governor Gregg Abbott also says that the strike force will be making a team created off Doctors, Business Leaders, and State Officials. With this he hopes for them to help him make decisions retaining opening Texas back up.
More announcements will be held either on April 27, or more during the month of may.
Governor Gregg Abbott today held a press conference where he issued three new Executive Orders to begin the process of reopening the states of Texas while revising hospital capacity and certain social distancing guidelines. Within the order, select activities and services that pose minimal to no threat of spreading COVID-19 are allowed to reopen using a “Retail-To-Go” model, certain restrictions on surgeries have been loosened, and schools will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year.
Within these orders, the Governor has established the Strike Force To Open Texas- a team of nationally recognized medical experts and private and public leaders who will advise the Governor on safely and strategically reopening the state of Texas.
“Texans are battling a colossal challenge- an invisible enemy that has tested our lives and our livelihood- but overcoming challenges is part of who we are as Texans,” said Governor Gregg Abbott. “We have shown that Texas can continue our efforts to contain Covid-19 while also adopting safe standards that will allow us to begin the process of reopening Texas. The Strike Force to open Texas brings together nationally recognized medical experts with public and private sector leaders to achieve this mission. By coming together, we can get Texans back to work, practice safe standards that will prevent the spread of Covid-19, and we can overcome this pandemic.”
James Hffines will lead the advisory strike force and Mike Toomey will serve as chief Operating Office. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Comptroller Gleen Hegar will serve as consulting members.
In addition, Governor Abbott has appointed Texas Department of State’s Health Services (DSHS) Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, as Chief Medical Officer of the Strike Force. Dr. Hellerstedt will be supported be three chief Medical Advisors:
John Zerwas, Md, Executive Vice- chancellor for health Affairs at the University of Texas System.
Mark McClellan, MP, PhD, Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner and U.S. Medicaid and Medicare Administrator.
Parker Hudson, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases as Dell Medical School and program director for the Internal Medicine Residency.
These health experts will develop a medical architecture to comprehensively test and trace COVID-19 that will enable Texans to gradually and safely begin the process of returning to work and other activities.
The medical team will work alongside a Special Advisory Council who will share innovative ideas to help business strategically reopen while containing the spread of COVID-19. The council consists of thirty-nine business leaders representing the state’s region and industries. The advisory council will collaborate with working groups to devise strategies, statewide standards, and appropriate time frames to reopen the lane Lone Star State while prioritizing the health and safety of all Texans.
The strike force will immediately begin providing input on potential additional openings of activities and services in Texas Consistent with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). The Governor will announce a revised plan for the state based on these initial recommendations on April 27.
