Local officials are calling for a two-week shut down as COVID-19 cases surge in Texas and hospital beds in the Texas Medical Center fill up with patients.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said it’s time for the city of Houston to “step back.”
“Let’s look at the numbers, look at the data, see where things are,” Turner said in remarks to the media Saturday. “And then gradually, move forward again.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo agreed with Turner in a statement posted on Twitter Sunday.
“Not only do we need a stay-home order now, but we need to stick with it this time until the hospitalization curve comes down, not just flattens. Many communities that persevered in that way are reopening for the long haul. Let’s learn from that & not make the same mistake twice,” she said.
However, the decision to shut down Houston and Harris County is currently out of their hands.
While Hidalgo issued a stay-at-home order in March, Gov. Greg Abbott has since taken over decisions on whether to open or close businesses and has refused to allow local officials to make decisions on the matter. Hidalgo’s office has unsuccessfully petitioned the governor for power to issue more restrictions as COVID-19 hospitalizations spiked.
But on Friday afternoon, Abbott too said that he could considering shutting down nonessential businesses if the pandemic continues to worsen. “If we do not slow the spread of COVID-19… the next step would have to be a lockdown,” he told KLBK TV in Lubbock.
On Saturday, the state’s count of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 255,753, up 10,342 from the day before. Ninety-six people were confirmed to have died from COVID-19. In June, the average number of confirmed COVID deaths a day was 26.
The surge in cases has placed a strain on healthcare systems. There were 10,083 patients hospitalized Saturday for lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, a record high. As intensive care units fill, many hospitals have begun delaying certain procedures to use the space as additional ICU capacity.
Turner was also concerned about getting the virus under “some semblance of control in time to send children, teachers and staff back to school in August,” according to his director of communications, Mary Benton.
“To be clear, the mayor would prefer the economy remain open but the virus is currently spreading out of control in our community and hospitalizations are rising,” she said in an email. “We must join together as a community to stop the spread now.”
gwendolyn.wu@chron.com
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Houston Mayor Turner in favor of a two-week shut down to reduce COVID-19 spread - Houston Chronicle
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