Gov. Abbott on Reopening: ?Texas is the Economic Engine of America'

The following Monday, April 27, the “strike force” Abbott has assembled will deliver more reopening recommendations on how to get the state booming again.“So what I rolled out yesterday is this massive team making sure Texas is going to take a lead as we open up the state, and Texas is doing business again,” Abbott said. On April 27th, we will come out with recommendations for certain types of businesses that can open up in strategic, safe ways to make sure we’re not spreading the coronavirus, but also to make sure we’re going to be able to get people going back to work in May. Then, on top of that, we’re not even waiting until May, because I announced several proposals on top of that. This will get so many more retailers employing people again and opening their doors back again and in the future they’re going to be able to start making some money and it will get the products people want into their hands.”Abbott explained the timeline of events next, beginning with reopening the parks in the state on Monday, then the elective medical procedures and surgeries on Wednesday, then Retail to Go on Friday.“The first thing that happens is on Monday, the parks reopen on Monday. Retail to Go begins next Friday, so six days from now—that will give these retailers the time to figure out the strategies on how to operate but also more importantly to begin advertising in connection with their consumers so they can let their consumers know they are going to be open and try to start—they can begin, if you would, the process of selling to consumers right now so the consumers can start coming up next Friday to start picking up everything they might start buying this weekend.”Meanwhile, Abbott’s strike force is working on a plan for every element of the Texas economy and will report back to the governor on Monday, April 27, on how to get everything reopened soon.“We have a strike force that is focused on every business sector that exists in the state of Texas,” Abbott said. The only thing I can’t predict is how long will it take them to be able to produce these therapeutic drugs on such a massive scale that everyone is going to be able to have access to them.”The reopening of Texas plan that Abbott is leading beginning right now is, he said, “bridging a divide” until effective treatments are available against the virus so the economy can get moving again and Texans can get back to work.“So here’s what we’re doing. In addition, Abbott said that while he encourages other states’ governors to follow Texas’s lead, and he is happy to share best practices for safely reopening their economies with any states who need help, he is not tying Texas to other states like New York’s Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo or California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom are, in regional compacts those Democrats have announced with other nearby states.“One thing governors do across the nation is we have twice a week phone calls with the president and the vice president and their advisers, so we have received and evaluated the phase-in program that was offered by the president and candidly it’s a pretty-good-looking phase-in program,” Abbott said.