AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Texas can avoid another lockdown of non-essential businesses if Texans will follow the mandatory face mask order, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.
"So we have these weekly conference calls with Dr. McClellan, with Parker Hudson, with Dr. Hellerstedt and Dr. Zerwas," Abbott said. "The conversation this past week focused on this one concept, and that is, 'Did the face mask requirement that I've imposed in the state of Texas will achieve the results that the CDC director announced yesterday?' And, that is, if everyone will adopt the face mask requirement and wear a face mask, we will be able to get control of COVID-19."
Abbott spoke at a press conference with Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Thursday.
"And that is exactly why I go on TV every single day and exactly why I'm emphasizing this point with you," Abbott said. "And that is a lockdown is the last thing that we need in the state of Texas if everyone will adopt the best practice of wearing a facemask."
Abbott also touched on reports of long waits to receive COVID-19 test results across the state. "The slow turnaround time for testing have been through private labs such as Quest Diagnostics and some others. State-based labs and other local-based labs have a 24 to 48 hour turnaround… the turnaround lags that have occurred in some parts of the state of Texas should be a thing in the past sometime soon."
Abbott said nursing homes across the state will begin to receive testing equipment next week that will expedite the testing process.
