AUSTIN (AP) — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday renewed his defense of coronavirus monitoring in Texas, which throughout the crisis has ranked near the bottom in the U.S. in testing, as he accelerates toward relaxing social restrictions before the end of April.
Next Monday, Abbott is planning to issue new statewide orders that will further loosen Texas’ lockdown beyond the reopening of state parks and letting retailers sell items curbside, which take effect this week. Saying hospitals aren't overwhelmed and pointing to a decline in fatalities in recent days, Abbott said the numbers are trending well as Texas marches toward reopening.
But Texas has also lagged nationally when it comes to testing and ranks near the bottom per capita, according to an analysis by The Associated Press of data collected by The COVID Tracking Project. The low numbers have raised concerns, including in big cities such as Houston, as conservatives in Texas and supporters of President Donald Trump amplify calls to get the country back to work.
