DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased to more than 1,900 patients in North Texas. COVID-19 patients are now using 12.8% of hospital capacity and account for 31% of ICU patients.
In Dallas Wednesday, Governor Greg Abbott said he would not order any more capacity limits or mask requirements.
"Things are going great in Texas," Abbott said at a convention of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
He says Texans already know the safest practices, and the state's economy has continued growing. Abbott says Texas has added 1.1 million jobs since last April.
"Safe practices are important. That said, one thing we've learned along the way is that lockdowns are wrong during the course of a pandemic," Abbott says.
"What I hope is that the governor puts public health first when he's issuing those orders," says Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
Johnson says he understands the governor's orders take precedence over any city ordinance. He says he has met with the governor to talk about the state's response, saying he hopes Abbott is following advice from Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt.
"You have to rise above political considerations in everything you do related to something like this because we're talking about the mass loss of life," Johnson says.
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Johnson says neither he nor the county can require masks or vaccinations, but he says he will still encourage them.
"I care about everyone in this city, everyone in this state," Johnson says. "People are dying because they failed to get this vaccine. I'm going to everything I can and everything my city attorney tells me I can do to get people to get vaccinated."
As part of the Mayor's Vaccine Raffle, the Dallas Foundation says almost 2,000 people signed up and is now giving out 120 prizes.
Registration for the Mayor's Back to School Fair has closed, but Johnson says anyone 12 and older can pull through Gate 16 between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. to receive the vaccine. He says all three vaccines will be available.
At 4 p.m. Johnson says Wal-Mart will start offering the vaccine to anyone 12 and older at 4 p.m. Friday.
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