More than 30 Texas bars sue over Gov. Greg Abbott's recent shutdown order
Abbott has said the actions of his executive order "are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health." Full Story
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![John Caldwell, manager of Coyote Ugly, boards up his bar on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas city and county leaders ask Gov. Greg Abbott for authority to implement local stay-at-home orders
At the beginning of the pandemic, local officials across the state implemented stay-at-home orders for their regions. But now, with cases across Texas' metros surging, those leaders say Abbott has stripped them of the authority to reinstate the same measures. Full Story
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![Kroger pharmacists explain and collect self-swab COVID-19 tests at a testing site in the Fifth Ward in Houston on June 27, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Governing in reaction mode, and always a beat or two behind
The pandemic has been with us since late winter, but state leaders seem to have forgotten something they already know from other disasters: You can get ready when a storm is coming, or wait until it blows your roof off. Full Story
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![A line of about 100 cars formed at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in Austin at a COVID-19 testing site. June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Pence visits Dallas as Texas grapples with coronavirus spike
The vice president spoke at Baptist church led by an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump and then met with Gov. Greg Abbott about the dire coronavirus situation in Texas. Full Story
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![Vice President Mike Pence spoke at First Baptist in Dallas on Sunday.]()
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Texas Republicans move forward with plans for an indoor convention in Houston, the state's biggest coronavirus hot spot
Gov. Greg Abbott is allowing limits on outdoor crowds — but not indoor gatherings. His party's convention — with an expected attendance of 6,000 — so far will not require attendees to wear face masks. Full Story
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![Delegates listen to speeches from party chairman candidates and offer procedural votes at the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio on June 15, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott expresses regret over reopening Texas bars during coronavirus
"If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars," Abbott said in a TV interview Friday evening. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott announces his plan to reopen the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool/Austin American-Statesman -
Sudden shutdown of Texas bars leaves owners, employees (and patrons) uncertain about the future
Bars had to shut down by noon Friday after a statewide surge in coronavirus infections that officials said was largely driven by activities like congregating in close spaces. There’s no immediate plan for when they’ll be able to reopen. Full Story
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![Workers boarded up bars on Sixth Street in Austin after Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars in Texas for the second time in three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Pence following through with visit to Dallas church as pandemic rages
The vice president was already scheduled to speak Sunday at First Baptist Dallas, though his trip is taking on a more somber tone as the state scrambles to respond to what Gov. Greg Abbott has described as a "massive outbreak" of coronavirus cases. Full Story
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![Vice President Mike Pence spoke to a crowd of supporters during a campaign event for U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions' re-election bid, at the Park Cities Hilton in Dallas Oct. 8, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texas bars to close again and restaurants to reduce to 50% occupancy as coronavirus spreads
The moves, announced Friday morning, represent Abbott's most dramatic action yet in response to a surge in cases after he allowed businesses to reopen in the state. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference at the state Capitol in Austin on Monday, June 22,2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Gov. Greg Abbott keeps businesses open despite surging coronavirus cases and rising deaths in Texas
“We can protect Texans’ lives while also restoring their livelihoods,” Abbott said this week. As cases surge, the question has become: How many Texans’ lives? Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott gives an update on Texas hospital bed capacity and state's strategy for fighting COVID-19 during a press conference at Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Analysis: A persistent coronavirus thriving against an inconsistent Texas government
It's a déjà vu moment, with the Texas government making some of the same moves to curb the spread of the coronavirus that it adopted in March — and started to get rid of a month later. The virus is spreading, and the remedies are back. Full Story
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![A line of close to 100 cars formed at Hancock Center in Austin while waiting for COVID-19 tests at the Community Care clinic. Some patients reported four hour wait times. June 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott pauses Texas’ reopening, bans elective surgeries in four counties
For a second time since the start of the pandemic, Abbott banned elective surgeries to preserve bed space for coronavirus patients. But this time the hold on the nonessential procedures is only in effect for Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties. Full Story
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![The Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Hillcrest hospital in Waco on March 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ coronavirus positivity rate exceeds “warning flag” level Abbott set as businesses reopened
In early May, Gov. Greg Abbott pointed to the positivity rate — a ratio of positive COVID-19 tests to all tests — and said anything over 10% was cause for alarm. As of Wednesday, Texas exceeded that mark for the first time since April. Full Story
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![A health care worker takes a patient's information at an Austin Regional Clinic COVID-19 testing site on June 17, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
New York imposes travel restrictions on visitors from Texas, the latest coronavirus hot spot
The tables have turned: Texas previously had similar self-quarantining requirements for hot spots like New York and Louisiana. Now that Texas is the latest hot spot, states are imposing restrictions against travelers from the Lone Star State. Full Story
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![Delta Air Lines' new Airbus A220 jet rests between flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in April of 2019.]()
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Analysis: An accidental lesson on public health and politics in a pandemic
Texas government is going in two directions at once, with Gov. Greg Abbott blowing a whistle on rising COVID-19 numbers while top education officials detail plans to open public schools for in-person classes this fall. Full Story
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![Instructor's Aid, Nicole Johnson, walks JoAnn Zavala's pre-K students down the hall to music class, their first "specials" visit for the day, on Sept. 5, 2019.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott recommends Texans stay home as coronavirus cases surge
The governor also moved for the first time to allow the tightening of two kinds of restrictions that had been eased under his reopening plan. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott adjusts his mask after giving an update on the categories of medical surge facilities at a press conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman -
Coronavirus patients crowd some Texas ICUs as Gov. Greg Abbott touts "abundant" hospital capacity
Regionally, some hospital officials are reporting that intensive care units are near or over capacity, and local leaders have warned that hospitals could get overwhelmed if the number of infections keeps climbing. Full Story
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![One of two surgical suites at Eastland Memorial Hospital.]()
Credit: Gary Rhodes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to impose new safety rules for child care centers due to increase in coronavirus cases
Gov. Greg Abbott also issued an order allowing local officials to regulate public outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people. Those officials previously could only regulate events of over 500 people. Full Story
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![The University of Texas Child Development day care center in Austin on April 6, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar calls Gov. Greg Abbott's leadership during coronavirus "a total failure"
During an interview with The Texas Tribune, Escobar, D-El Paso, said the state's leadership missed an opportunity to implement robust testing when an emergency was declared. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup of Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Matt McClain/Pool via REUTERS -
Gov. Greg Abbott urges voluntary measures to curb coronavirus spread but says closing Texas will be "the last option"
Thousands more Texans tested positive for the new coronavirus over the weekend, and the state has reported 11 consecutive days of record-high hospitalizations. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the categories of medical surge facilities during a press conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/Pool via Austin American-Statesman