By Robert T. Garrett – dallasnews.com – June 23, 2020

Gov. Greg Abbott sternly warned Texans of “rampant” spread of coronavirus that took the state to a new high Tuesday of more than 5,000 new cases in a single day.

Saying Texans should stay home unless they have a good reason to venture out, Abbott late Tuesday afternoon gave local officials more powers to limit public gatherings during the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

He expanded the ability of mayors and county judges to restrict outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people — down from the previous limit of more than 500 people in outdoor gatherings.

On KENS-TV in San Antonio late Tuesday, Abbott made it clear it will be up to cities and counties to decide whether face coverings will be required at mass gatherings.

“I did authorize local officials to have the authority to establish regulations in gatherings of 100 or more people,” he said. “This was intended to allow local authorities in particular to regulate gatherings for Fourth of July celebrations. We did not specify what restrictions or regulations they could impose. It’s possible they could require masks in such an environment. It’s going to be up to local officials in that regard.”

Abbott also told the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to enact emergency rules that provide strict health and safety standards and procedures related to COVID-19 for child care centers in Texas.

After about eight weeks of reopenings, the moves were a shift for Abbott, who’s also adopted a more urgent tone in his public pronouncements this week.

“These are just some of the steps Texas will take to contain the rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” Abbott said in a written statement. “I urge all Texans to do everything in their power to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus by wearing a face mask, washing their hands often and staying six feet apart from others.”

The decrees were based on data showing an increase in COVID-19 transmission stemming from large gatherings and expanded use of child care centers, the governor’s office said in a release.

Day cares, which Abbott freed up for children of nonessential workers on May 18, have been slammed, as The Dallas Morning News reported over the weekend.

As of Friday, 410 total cases of coronavirus — 267 staff members and 143 children — had been reported at 318 licensed child care operations across the state, according to the commission. That’s a sharp increase from the 339 cases the agency reported Thursday and the 210 it shared with KVUE-TV in Austin on June 15.

Late Tuesday, David Feigen, early childhood policy advocate for the group Texans Care for Children, welcomed Abbott’s directive for tighter standards. But he warned that to avoid “increasing costs to Texas families,” more state financial and other assistance may be required.

“As COVID cases in child care rise, we appreciate the governor’s attention to the health and safety of young kids and staff in child care centers,” Feigen said in a written statement.

“Depending on what these new rules require, Texas leaders will need to ensure that new standards are coupled with new supports. Quality providers will do their best to follow the rules and guidance from the state, but without sufficient resources and technical assistance, these costs will fall on cash-strapped families.”

Earlier Tuesday, Abbott foreshadowed his new actions on outdoor gatherings and day cares — the record number of positive tests in the state.

“Statewide, there’s going to be an all-time record set today in the number of people testing positive of over 5,000,” he told KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi in a live appearance via satellite from Austin.

The previous high was 4,430 positive test results on Saturday. On Tuesday, Dallas County also reported a record daily high of 445 additional infections, and 7 deaths related to the virus. Statewide, hospitalizations have been breaking records every day for more than a week.

Abbott began two noon newscast interviews with very pointed references to the new daily record of more than 5,000 new, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The actual number of new cases reported by the state later in the afternoon was 5,489, plus 4,092 hospitalizations — the 12th straight day with a new record. The state reported 28 deaths Tuesday.

“There remain a lot of people in the state of Texas who think that the spread of COVID-19 is really not a challenge,” he told KBTX-TV in College Station. “The coronavirus is serious, is spreading in Brazos County, across the entire state of Texas.”

“Importantly, because the spread is so rampant right now, there’s never a reason for you to have to leave your home unless you do need to go out,” he said. “The safest place for you is your home.”

Abbott, who began reopening the state in late April, lately has pointed in dismay at anecdotal evidence of poor social distancing practices and lack of mask wearing by some Texans during the Memorial Day holiday and in the early part of this month. Large-scale protests of George Floyd’s killing also have been a cause of public-health concerns, he has said repeatedly.

On Monday, the Republican governor warned he could impose further restrictions if coronavirus cases continue to rise. He offered no specifics. Democrats pounced, accusing him of doing nothing and reiterating their charge he reopened businesses too soon, before testing and contact tracing were ramped up sufficiently.

On Tuesday, Abbott noted that in a June 3 executive order, he gave cities and counties authority to regulate any public gatherings in excess of 500 people. It applies to gatherings other than those that were specifically mentioned and regulated in his various edicts, which targeted such activities as religious services, youth camps, sporting events and amusement parks. At the time, Abbott noted that Fourth of July was coming. The holiday was on his mind again Tuesday.

“We’re looking at ways of addressing crowds that could be gathering for the Fourth of July,” he said on KRIS.

“We are reevaluating that right now,” he said of the June 3 order, “to make sure that local officials have even greater control, … to make sure that they will be able to establish standards that can prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Abbott continued, “We did see an increase after Memorial Day. We saw an increase in the early part of June. We need to make sure that we do have the flexibility to reduce crowds in ways that will reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

On KBTX, Abbott said he’s taking action to reduce infections, such as ordering a crackdown on bars by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and sending tests and other resources to coronavirus hot spots.

“So there are measures that are being taken to make sure that we are immediately responding to this, as well as additional announcements that may be coming later today and later tomorrow, as well as during the course of the week,” he said.

Staff writers Allie Morris in Austin and Megan Menchaca in Dallas contributed to this report.

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Source: As Texas hits all-time high in new COVID-19 cases, Gov. Greg Abbott tightens outdoor gathering rules