'We opened too quickly': Texas becomes a model
for inadequate Covid-19 response
State shuts down again after seven weeks with
coronavirus cases skyrocketing, after ignoring inconvenient data and fighting
party-political turf wars
Tom Dart in
Houston, Texas
@Tom_Dart
Published
onSat 27 Jun 2020 14.39 BST
When Donald
Trump welcomed Texas governor Greg Abbott to the White House in May, the US
president hailed his fellow Republican as “one of the great governors” and
lauded the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and predicted boom
times ahead.
“When you
look at the job he’s done in Texas, I rely on his judgment,” Trump said.
Seven weeks
later, as the state once again closes businesses with virus cases skyrocketing
and hospitals running out of intensive-care beds, Texas indeed appears to be a
model: for how to squander a hopeful position through premature reopening,
ignoring inconvenient data and fighting party-political turf wars.
On 7 May,
the day of Abbott’s visit to Washington, the state reported 968 new cases among
its 29 million residents. Daily numbers have soared this week – to 5,996 on 25
June – prompting doctors in Houston to sound the alarm.
On Friday,
Abbott ordered a halt to Texan experiences such as bar-hopping along Austin’s
raucous Sixth Street and floating lazily on an inner tube along a tree-lined
river. Bars – which were open at up to 50% capacity – must close again,
restaurants must reduce from 75% to 50% capacity and rafting operations must
close.
Harris
County, which includes Houston, moved to its highest Covid-19 threat level,
signalling a “severe and uncontrolled” outbreak.
“The harsh
truth is that our current infection rate is on pace to overwhelm our hospitals
in the very near future,” Lina Hidalgo, the county judge, said at a press
conference on Friday. “We opened too quickly.”
It was not
her choice. Hidalgo, a Democrat, issued a mandatory mask order in April that
was swiftly rendered toothless by Abbott, who said masks were strongly
recommended but local authorities could not impose penalties for
non-compliance.
Abbott said
in the Oval Office that Texas’ phased reopening was based on data-driven strategies
that would reduce the spread of the virus and enable the economy to recover.
But he was cherry-picking numbers; the statistics did not meet federal criteria
for relaxing a lockdown and Texas’ per-capita testing rate is among the worst
in the nation.
That same
day, Abbott diluted his own authority in order to mollify his conservative
base. He eliminated jail as a punishment for violating his coronavirus
restrictions, in a response to right-wing outrage over the imprisonment of a
Dallas hair salon owner who had illegally reopened, refused to close again and
was sentenced to seven days behind bars for contempt of court.
“Abbott
tries to play the moderate but in reality he’s almost on a leash with the
extreme right,” said Mustafa Tameez, a Houston-based Democratic strategist.
Tameez said
that Abbott and Trump have sown confusion through mixed messages. “We’re not
going to be able to make policy unless we root it in facts and science,” he
said. “We’re not going to be able to make it through this on soundbites and
political positioning.”
Republicans
control Texas politics at state level largely thanks to support from white
rural and suburban voters. But Democrats dominate in the biggest cities,
Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. This has long led to policy conflicts,
with the state overriding municipalities on issues from banning plastic bags to
immigration enforcement. Greg Casar, an Austin city council member, said that
Abbott placed appeasing his core voters ahead of the health of urban communities
of color.
“The
governor at the very beginning of this chose to prioritize politics over public
health,” Casar said, noting the state’s attempt to suspend abortions. He added
that if cases continue to spike, Austin would probably pass laws that go beyond
Abbott’s limits, risking a court fight.
“The
overwhelming majority of our hospitalizations are Latino and of course black
Austinites are being hospitalized at a disproportionate rate as well,” Casar
said. “Generations of racist practice and policies are really exposing those
communities at the moment no matter how much we try to mitigate it.” Austin was
blocked earlier this month from implementing mandatory paid sick leave after a
long-running legal challenge backed by leading Texas Republicans.
“Hopefully
the leadership of this state now knows that they’ve got to put public health
first, we’ve got to flatten the curve all the way,” said Royce West, a state
senator in Dallas and Democratic US senate primary candidate. “Leaders in this
state have got to look at whether or not what the model was in New York should
be replicated here.” That would underline the dramatic reversal in fortunes
from the spring, when New York was the national epicentre – but severe actions
seem unlikely.
Dan
Patrick, the 70-year-old Texas lieutenant governor, declared in March that he
was willing to risk death to help the economy.
On Friday,
Patrick dismissed the idea of a fresh lockdown and accused hospitals of
providing misleading information. “Yes, positive rates are up, mostly young
people, they’re not dying,” he told Fox News. “We’re still moving forward, with
a slight pause.”
Nor is the
pandemic causing state leaders to reconsider their most cherished policy goals.
As hospitals scramble to find more ICU beds, Texas, the state with the highest
number of uninsured people, filed a brief on Thursday urging the US supreme
court to scrap the Affordable Care Act, which would threaten access to
healthcare for millions.
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