The Calm Before the Storm
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
A few hours ago, Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference from the state capital. The governor announced no new changes to the expiration date on the stay-at-home executive order he issued. The order will expire on April 30th.
The governor also announced businesses, including all retail stores, restaurants, and movie theaters, will be allowed to reopen and limited to 25% occupancy. Museums and libraries can also open as long as they adhere to the 25% occupancy rule.
All licensed health care professionals are also allowed to return to work at doctor's offices and clinics.
Some businesses will not open on May 1st and have to wait for further instructions, including hair salons, barber shops, and fitness centers (gyms).
Facial coverings will no longer be required, even though officials strongly recommend people still use them when social distancing rules are not possible. The six foot social distancing gap is also strongly recommended.
This past weekend, restrictions were loosened to allow people to return to outdoor recreational activities. People were first allowed to play golf and tennis, and this past weekend parks, beaches, and boat ramps were reopened and people were allowed to go out as long as they adhered to social distancing guidelines.
Several people made their way to the beach and to the waterways as images of people fishing and relaxing on the beach found their way to social media platforms; people are desperately trying to recapture a semblance of normalcy during these trying times. Others are trying to recapture their sanity as working from home and sheltering in place have left many hoping for a taste of the outdoors.
The governor is making a critical error in allowing non-essential institutions to reopen at this time.
Based on data provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services, less than one percent of the population in Texas has been tested for the Coronavirus. Based on data released a few days ago, a little over 205,000 people have been tested in a state of close to 29 million people.
There is absolutely no way an informed decision based on clear data analysis could be reached if less than one percent of the state's population has been tested. Texas is at the bottom of the list when it comes to the amount of people tested on a state-by-state basis. Texas is 49th out of 50 states.
All it would take to make things worse is one asymptomatic infected person going to a movie theater and infecting others in attendance. According to sevral online sites, the average American movie theater has anywhere from 200-300 seats. At 25% capacity that means anywhere from 50-75 people may come in contact with someone who is sick in a movie theater. Multiply that number by the times a movie is shown in one theater per day. Multiply that number by the number of movies shown in a modern multiplex.
There is no garden-variety restaurant, but imagine the number of people allowed in your favorite restaurant. Even at 25% capacity, there are still hundreds of people who would potentially be served by a restaurant.
The only time we leave the Beacon offices is when we go out to get something to eat, and we are hesitant to drive very far from home base; we rarely venture north of Boca Chica, but when we are out getting something to eat, or visiting the nearby store or Watermill, you couldn't tell the city was under a shelter-in-place order. There are plenty of people still driving around and several people are still congregating in large groups in defiance of any social distancing order.
Imagine how many more people will be driving around once these restrictions are lifted.
This has very little to do with personal choice and freedom and everything to do with public safety and public health. It is a pity the governor has decided to order the reopening of as many establishments as he has. He is basing his decisions on incomplete data and some very ill-informed advisers.
I fear this premature reopening will only cause a faster spread of the virus. We have been told the best way to prevent the spread is to stay at home. A few days later, our leaders in all their infinite wisdom have decided it is ok to leave home with a tiny fraction of the population being tested.
This is the proverbial calm before the storm.
A few hours ago, Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference from the state capital. The governor announced no new changes to the expiration date on the stay-at-home executive order he issued. The order will expire on April 30th.
The governor also announced businesses, including all retail stores, restaurants, and movie theaters, will be allowed to reopen and limited to 25% occupancy. Museums and libraries can also open as long as they adhere to the 25% occupancy rule.
All licensed health care professionals are also allowed to return to work at doctor's offices and clinics.
Some businesses will not open on May 1st and have to wait for further instructions, including hair salons, barber shops, and fitness centers (gyms).
Facial coverings will no longer be required, even though officials strongly recommend people still use them when social distancing rules are not possible. The six foot social distancing gap is also strongly recommended.
This past weekend, restrictions were loosened to allow people to return to outdoor recreational activities. People were first allowed to play golf and tennis, and this past weekend parks, beaches, and boat ramps were reopened and people were allowed to go out as long as they adhered to social distancing guidelines.
Several people made their way to the beach and to the waterways as images of people fishing and relaxing on the beach found their way to social media platforms; people are desperately trying to recapture a semblance of normalcy during these trying times. Others are trying to recapture their sanity as working from home and sheltering in place have left many hoping for a taste of the outdoors.
The governor is making a critical error in allowing non-essential institutions to reopen at this time.
Based on data provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services, less than one percent of the population in Texas has been tested for the Coronavirus. Based on data released a few days ago, a little over 205,000 people have been tested in a state of close to 29 million people.
There is absolutely no way an informed decision based on clear data analysis could be reached if less than one percent of the state's population has been tested. Texas is at the bottom of the list when it comes to the amount of people tested on a state-by-state basis. Texas is 49th out of 50 states.
All it would take to make things worse is one asymptomatic infected person going to a movie theater and infecting others in attendance. According to sevral online sites, the average American movie theater has anywhere from 200-300 seats. At 25% capacity that means anywhere from 50-75 people may come in contact with someone who is sick in a movie theater. Multiply that number by the times a movie is shown in one theater per day. Multiply that number by the number of movies shown in a modern multiplex.
There is no garden-variety restaurant, but imagine the number of people allowed in your favorite restaurant. Even at 25% capacity, there are still hundreds of people who would potentially be served by a restaurant.
The only time we leave the Beacon offices is when we go out to get something to eat, and we are hesitant to drive very far from home base; we rarely venture north of Boca Chica, but when we are out getting something to eat, or visiting the nearby store or Watermill, you couldn't tell the city was under a shelter-in-place order. There are plenty of people still driving around and several people are still congregating in large groups in defiance of any social distancing order.
Imagine how many more people will be driving around once these restrictions are lifted.
This has very little to do with personal choice and freedom and everything to do with public safety and public health. It is a pity the governor has decided to order the reopening of as many establishments as he has. He is basing his decisions on incomplete data and some very ill-informed advisers.
I fear this premature reopening will only cause a faster spread of the virus. We have been told the best way to prevent the spread is to stay at home. A few days later, our leaders in all their infinite wisdom have decided it is ok to leave home with a tiny fraction of the population being tested.
This is the proverbial calm before the storm.
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