Letter to the Hon. Greg Abbott, Governor of the State of Texas - Press Release: Vela leads Texas delegation members in urging governor Abbott to implement state-wide, stay-at-home order

Letter

Dear Governor Abbott:

The United States now accounts for the largest number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the world- with more than 20 percent of all cases across the globe occurring in the U.S. Now more than ever, the work of our state and local officials is critical in effectively curtailing the further spread of this deadly virus across Texas and the United States.

While we recognize and appreciate your efforts to keep Texans informed and safe in this rapidly evolving crisis, we believe that more active countermeasures should be adopted to protect Texans. More must be done to ensure that Texas does not have a rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, as we have seen in certain regions of the country.

As many public health experts have stated, our response in the next several weeks will be critical in drastically reducing the spread of this deadly virus. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner under President Trump and a current adviser to the President, recently stated that the state of Texas has had very limited available testing and that an undercount of cases in Texas is likely. [1] He went on to say that the state of Texas has a very narrow window of time to avert a possibly explosive growth in cases. [2]

In order for us to stop the further spread of the virus in Texas, rapid and more severe restrictions are needed. We, therefore, call on you to adopt a stay-at-home order for the entire state of Texas. This action has already been taken by a number of cities in Texas, and at least 30 states in the nation, including a number of states in the region, Louisiana, New Mexico and Kansas.

Saving lives and stopping the spread of the virus in Texas should be our number one priority at this time. We should make every effort to ensure that our health care workers are able to work with the limited resources they have, treat those currently infected with the virus and do everything in our power to stop the spread. Implementing a stay-at-home order could help in our fight against this devastating virus.