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AUSTIN, Texas – Texas hospitals desperately need more beds and staff. A Houston hospital set up a makeshift tent in a parking lot to cope with the flood of patients suffering from the coronavirus. To deal with the crisis, district officials are turning to the courts to regain local control that Governor Greg Abbott has denied them. This is because Texas lawmakers are starting work on a COVID-19 response.
What you need to know
- With the Delta-powered COVID-19 virus worsening in Texas and hospital beds filled, state lawmakers are considering protective measures
- Some state lawmakers support Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask and vaccine mandates; others think that local leaders should make these decisions
- Large school districts, including those in Austin and Dallas, have defied Abbott’s orders and introduced masking requirements
- San Antonio, Bexar Counties, and Dallas Counties have successfully sued to circumvent Abbott’s ban on mask mandates
In contrast to the first special session, the reaction to COVID is on the agenda the second time. State legislators, at least in the upper chamber, wanted to get an idea of what was going on in Texas. They learned that the situation is dire, even if some hospitals are not cutting back on essential procedures.
On Tuesday, Texas had the lowest number of ICU beds available since the pandemic began. In a state of 30 million people, only 329 occupied intensive care beds were available. More than 10,000 Texans are currently being hospitalized, the highest number since February.
The rampant resurgence of COVID is one of the main reasons some runaway Democrats in the House of Representatives said they returned to the State Capitol after breaking the quorum. Your Republican colleagues hope to get back to business as soon as possible. In a recent interview with Capital Tonight, Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Houston said its constituents were concerned about the spike of COVID fueled by the Delta variant.
“We can take action now, whether we’re passing laws or moving dollars. We did some very smart things in the last session on telemedicine. We really learned a lot from COVID, and maybe we can add some of that knowledge, ”said Murphy, chairman of the House Republican Committee.
While the House waits for more members to return to the chamber, Texas Senators held a hearing Tuesday to understand the latest coronavirus trends, hospital staff shortages, intensive care bed capacity and medical equipment needs . Governor Abbott has taken steps to address staffing levels, but he’s not holding back his opposition to government mandates. That’s not the case with all Republicans.
“Personally, I think school boards or the (independent school districts) need to make their own decisions for their local community,” Senator Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, said at a hearing before the Senate Health Committee.
Opposition to Abbott’s orders banning local governments and schools from granting mask and vaccine mandates is growing. School districts in Dallas and Austin are defying governor’s order and requiring students and teachers to wear face-covers on campus.
And a state district judge in Bexar County blocked Abbott’s restrictions there, at least for now. Dallas County also sued back local control.
“The enemy is not Greg Abbott. It’s not the others. It’s not the unvaccinated. The enemy is the virus itself. And we all must do everything we can to protect public health. School districts and governments closest to people should make decisions about how best to protect students and others, ”said Clay Jenkins, a Dallas County judge.
Abbott’s press secretary Renae Eze reiterated the governor’s earlier statements emphasizing personal responsibility and saying the time for government mandates was over. They encourage eligible Texans to get vaccinated.
“We all work to protect Texas children and the most vulnerable among us, but violating the governor’s orders – and violating parents’ rights – is not the way to do it,” Eze said.
When asked by state senators about his attitude to mask mandates, Dr. However, John Hellerstedt, commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said that it was up to the leadership, masks would absolutely increase indoor safety.
“Science can advise, but science cannot make political decisions. And that is extremely important, because in the end the decisions are the decisions of the management, the decisions are the decisions of a free society,” said Hellerstedt.
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