AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to reveal his plan to reopen businesses in the state on Friday as the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, KPRC reported.
According to KXAN-TV in Austin, a spokesman in the governor’s communications office confirmed the announcement was coming Friday, but wouldn’t confirm any other details.
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However, Abbott foreshadowed the broad strokes of his plan during a news conference Monday.
“This is not going to be a ‘rush the gates, everybody is able to suddenly reopen all at once,'” Abbott said Monday. “We have to understand that we must reopen in a way in which we are able to stimulate the economy while at the very same time ensuring that we contain the spread of COVID-19.”
Abbott’s announcement will come a day after a similar announcement regarding the country from President Donald Trump.
Trump has scheduled a 4 p.m. Thursday news conference at the White House, where it is expected that he will outline his plan for reopening the country.
A record 22 million Americans have filed jobless claims since the outbreak began.
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.
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