Texas Coronavirus Lockdown Won't Happen Despite COVID-19 Surge; Gov. Abbott Says 'No Shutdown Coming'

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott still insists he won't order a statewide shutdown despite a second day of record high deaths and daily cases again exceeding 10,000.

On Thursday, Texas reported a single-day high of 129 new COVID-19 deaths. It also reported 10,291 new coronavirus cases.

It was the second day in a row Texas recorded a new single-day high in deaths after reporting 110 deaths on Wednesday, the previous high. On the other hand, new COVID-19 cases decreased by 500 cases from the record 10,791 new cases on Wednesday.

Despite these dismaying statistics, Abbott said Thursday there is no statewide shutdown on the immediate horizon.

“Let me tell you, there is no shutdown coming,” he tould Houston's KRIV-TV.

Abbott noted the recent measures he'd taken to slow down the community spread of the virus. These measures include a statewide mask mandate and ordering bars (a main source of the current spread) to close down. Abbott believes these measures, and others already taken, will lead to a reversal of the daily surge in cases. He's repeatedly claimed that if people wear masks, he'll be able to avoid shutting down the state.

"People are panicking, thinking I'm about to shut down Texas again," he said on Wednesday. "The answer is no. That is not the goal. I've been abundantly clear."

Last week, Abbott said if the spread of the virus doesn't slow, "the next step would have to be a lockdown."

Texas has reported more than 290,000 cases and 3,500 deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DHSH). More than 150,000 people have recovered from this highly infectious disease. The state’s seven-day positivity rate stands at 16.81%, one of the highest in the country. Epidemiologists agree community spread of COVID-19 can't be controlled if the positivity rate is above 5%. The positivity rate average for the entire U.S. is 8.5%.

There were 10,457 hospitalizations Thursday, which were only 14 fewer compared to Wednesday's total. There were only 2,153 hospitalizations throughout the state about a month ago. State health experts trace the surge in hospitalizations to large gatherings such as those in bars and the Fourth of July weekend.