'The more that you have people out there, the greater the possibility is for transmission,' he told lawmakers in a private call on Friday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged in a private conference call with lawmakers last Friday that reopening the state would lead to a spike in coronavirus cases, but that the goal was never"to get transmission of COVID-19 down to zero."
The move comes with risks, the governor acknowledged in his call. He used daycares as an example, pointing out that children come from different home settings where a parent might be infected and could then spread it to other kids and teachers. On the call, the governor couched his decision to reopen more establishments at a faster rate than planned on data and metrics, such as hospitalizations, deaths, the number of people who have tested positive and who have recovered.
Still, the governor has forged ahead with plans to allow residents to start going to non-essential businesses and public spaces, even moving up the date in some cases as Republicans across the state pushed for a faster return to normalcy. Restaurants, movie theaters, and malls were able to start up again at 25% capacity.
Texas Democrats, meanwhile, have accused the Republicans of putting people's lives at risk for economic purposes.
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