Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday the Lone Star State will reopen "pretty soon" — and vows it will not allow a "situation like New York" and other Northeast states where healthcare facilities were overwhelmed.
In an interview on Newsmax TV's "The Chris Salcedo Show," Abbott said the state has been ensuring there are enough equipment and staff to handle coronavirus patients as the state moves toward reopening.
"We will not face a situation like what we're seeing in New York . . . in New Jersey or some of these other states," he said. "Our healthcare facilities . . . more doctors, more nurses are gonna be able to treat more patients . . . more medical procedures because we have such a massive increase in our PPE. . . . Over the past week alone, we distributed almost 6 million masks across the state of Texas."
Abbott noted his statewide executive order expires April 30, and he will be making an announcement next week.
"We know people want to get back to work," he said, adding: "Just know it's all coming pretty soon."
According to Abbott, "the good news is the state of Texas has slowed the spread" of the coronavirus.
"I'll make an announcement where we go and how we go. We will be looking to open up . . . to make sure it doesn't expand the virus," he said.
But he also warned businesses that have jumped the gun and reopened early risk losing their state business license.
"It's easy to understand the desire to get your business open again," he said. "They are very frustrated . . . we want them to get back. However, there are certain businesses that haven't been cleared . . . [where there's a threat of a] higher transmission rate.
"When they act contrary to the law, they could lose their licenses. We will be escalating the pace to open up as much as possible."
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