Texas aims to have businesses reopen their storefronts in early May.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan on Friday to have a coronavirus task force of experts devise economic and health guidelines that will allow residents to feel comfortable when they leave their homes. He plans to declare a date for reopening businesses on April 27, depending on whether the coronavirus is adequately contained in the state.
“Because of the efforts by everyone to slow the spread, we’re now beginning to see glimmers that the worst of COVID-19 may soon be behind us,” Abbott said at a news conference.
President Trump spoke with governors on Thursday and laid out a plan to encourage governors to reopen their economies while still maintaining social distancing guidelines put out by his administration.
“Understand this: Opening in Texas must occur in stages,” Abbott said. “Obviously, not all businesses can open all at once on May the first. Some businesses, if fully open, without better distancing standards, would be more likely to set us back, rather than to propel us forward. A more strategic approach is required to ensure that we don’t reopen only to have to shut down once again.”
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Schools in Texas will remain closed for the rest of the school year.
Abbott has been criticized for his decision to shutter businesses in the state temporarily. Former Texas state Sen. Don Huffines said Abbott had “effectively shut down the 10th-largest economy in the world.”
More than 1 million Texans, or roughly 7% of their entire workforce, filed for unemployment this month as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
There are more than 17,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Texas, and more than 400 people in the state have died.
