AUSTIN, Texas – President Donald Trump has issued a major disaster declaration for Texas due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday.
Abbott recently asked Trump for the declaration, which opens up new federal funding resources to save lives, protect property, public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of COVID-19, a press release said.
Recommended Videos
“Texas is aggressively pursuing and implementing all necessary strategies to limit the impact of COVID-19, and I thank President Trump for his swift action to issue a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Texas,” Abbott said. “The President’s declaration ... will help Texas respond to this public health emergency ...”
Gov. Abbott: Texas may need ‘stricter enforcement’ of social distancing orders
Abbott has issued several executive orders in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT: