The Wuhan coronavirus has shut down a large sector of the American economy. Anything deemed "nonessential" has been closed as a way of helping mitigate the spread of the virus. President Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about reopening the economy and getting people back to work as millions file for unemployment.
One of the nation's largest economies, Texas, is now looking at reopening parts of the economy while also protecting people from the deadly Wuhan coronavirus, although Gov. Greg Abbott didn't go into detail.
“Next week I will be providing an executive order talking about what will be done in Texas about reopening Texas businesses,” Abbott said during a press conference on Friday. According to the governor, things will be done “in a way that will be safe for that economic revitalization.”
“We will focus on protecting lives while restoring livelihoods. We can and we must do this,” Abbott said. “We will operate strategically. If we do it too fast without appropriate strategies, it will lead to another potential closure.”
Bars, restaurants, schools and gyms across the Lone Star State have been closed since the government implemented his executive order on March 19.
According to KSAT-TV, the state has processed 363,000 unemployment claims and paid out roughly $318 million so far.
There are currently 12,561 Wuhan coronavirus cases in Texas. Of those, 1,617 have recovered, 1,514 are currently hospitalized and 254 have died.
As of Friday, the state has 20,488 hospital beds available and roughly 2,500 ICU beds. There are also 7,484 ventilators available should the need arise.