Jun 22, 2020 - Health

Texas governor warns coronavirus is spreading at an "unacceptable rate"

Ursula Perano

Gov. Greg Abbott. Photo: Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool/Getty Images

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said at a press conference on Monday that he is concerned the coronavirus is spreading at an "unacceptable rate" following the state's reopening, but that he would only support a second shutdown as a last resort.

Why it matters: Texas is well into its "phase 3" of reopening, allowing businesses to host up to 50% capacity. But the state outbreak is one of several that has seen a surge in infections in recent weeks, averaging more than 3,500 daily new cases and a positivity rate higher than 9%.

Abbott did not announce any new executive actions to stem the spread of the virus, but said that "wearing a mask will help us to keep Texas open because not taking action to slow the spread will cause COVID to spread even worse."
"Closing down Texas again will always be the last option," he added.
Abbott allowed the state's original stay-at-home order to expire on April 30.

By the numbers: As of Monday afternoon, Texas has reported over 113,200 coronavirus cases in total, with over 2,100 deaths.

The big picture: Texas is one of a dozen states that has seen record highs in new coronavirus cases since Friday, according to ABC News. Some increases are attributable to a growth in testing.

The other states are Florida, Utah, South Carolina, Nevada, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Arizona, California, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Go deeper: U.S. coronavirus cases are increasing, but deaths aren't — yet

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Texas governor warns coronavirus is spreading at an "unacceptable rate"

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