AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a statewide disaster declaration in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Abbott was joined by Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd.
"From the very beginning, our number one objective has been to implement preventative strategies that build on our state’s existing public health capabilities so that no matter how this situation unfolds, Texas will be ready," Abbott said. "That is exactly what our state agencies have done. The State of Texas is prepared, and we continue to take proactive measures along with the support of our federal and local partners to contain this virus and keep Texans safe."
The disaster declaration allows for efficient utilization of a number of state resources, including:
- Authorizing the use of all available and necessary state government resources to help manage this situation.
- Activating the state emergency management plan and the State Operations Center to enhance the state’s planning and response capabilities.
- Giving TDEM the ability to reassign & fully utilize appropriate personnel where they are needed most.
- Providing the immediate ability to move resources around the state, including resources obtained through the Strategic National Stockpile.
- Empowering the Office of the Texas Attorney General (OAG) to pursue cases of price-gouging and ensure that offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Abbott also provided an update on testing capabilities around the state. Texas Public Health Labs now have the capacity to test over 270 people per day, with more private labs coming online every day. Additionally, state officials have worked with the City of San Antonio to open the first drive-through testing facility, serving first responders, healthcare workers, operators of critical infrastructure and key resources, and certain high-risk patients. Other major cities are working to implement drive-through testing sites that will be run and managed at the local level.
Texas joins more than 20 states in declaring an emergency over the coronavirus pandemic.
