This past July 4th looked nothing like a normal July 4th in the Houston area. No one was out watching 'Freedom Over Texas.' Beaches in Galveston were shut down. A mask order went into effect across the state. But that isn't enough according to some. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told ABC's 'This Week' that she wants to go a step further, and a step back to where we were in March and April.
"What we need right now is to do what works, which is a stay home order. We don;t have room to experiment when we see this kinds of numbers," Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo is among the Texas lawmakers asking Governor Greg Abbott for the power to shut down again. Texas reported 8,258 new cases of COVID Saturday. The state reported under 3,500 cases yesterday. But that number is likely because many counties don't report over the weekend. Today;s number could be higher than what we have seen lately, but we won't find that out until this afternoon.
Elsewhere:
- The Governor's mask order comes with a $250 fine, but Montgomery County Precinct 2 Constable Gene DeForest says he's not enforcing it. Neither will the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
- The Governor's mask order has been challenged in court. The suit filed Friday on behalf of Dr. Steven Hotze by attorney Jared Woodfill.
- The pandemic hitting first responders hard, particularly the Houston Fire Department, which now has more than 300 firefighters in quarantine.