For weeks now, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has been publicly asking Texas Governor Greg Abbott for the authority to shut the county down because of the spike in coronavirus cases. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner sent Abbott a letter asking him for the power to do so, too. Up until now, there has been no answer from the Governor. But there is one now, and it's an emphatic one.
During his appearance on a TV station in Beaumont, Abbott said, ""If you look at the county judges or mayors who are asking for more authority to take action or to really shut things down completely back into lockdown mode that would really force Texans into poverty, I found one thing to be consistent: All of those local officials who are asking Texas to shut back down--they've absolutely refused to enforce the current executive orders that are already in place. What they need to show is action, not absenteeism. They need to show up, enforce the law as it is, before they're given any further authority. They ask for more and more, but they do absolutely nothing. Here's the reality: Every single one of these executive orders that have been issued were done based upon the advice of doctors to ensure that if these executive orders were enforced as local authorities have had the authority to do so, it would stop the spread of the coronavirus, especially this most recent order. If local officials enforce the mask order, it will slow the spread of the coronavirus. They just now need to step up and begin to enforce the orders that are already in place."
Check that interview out below. Abbott also made similar comments to our TV partner Channel 2. That interview is below as well.