As much of America remains in lockdown in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, has said he plans to begin the process of reopening businesses and resuming life as we knew it pre-coronavirus.

As we are seeing a glimmer of hope that the worst could be behind us and the question as to whether we may soon be able to see some return to normalcy, Governor Abbott has vowed to continue precautions and open Texas’ economy in a “safe” way.

Currently, Texas is under lockdown orders and all non-essential businesses have been closed. Despite insistence from many that we need an extended lockdown period, others see ending the current crippling recession as a top priority before it does long-lasting damage to our economy.

As President Donald Trump said on March 23, “We can’t have the cure be worse than the problem,” adding, “We have to open our country because that causes problems that, in my opinion, could be far bigger problems.”

According to Newsweek, Abbott said that Texas, which would be home to the world’s 11th largest economy if it were an independent country, will find a balance between personal safety and economic security.

“We will focus on protecting lives while restoring livelihoods,” Abbott said on Friday at a news conference.

“We can and we must do this. We can do both, expand and restore the livelihoods that Texans want to have by helping them return to work. One thing about Texans, they enjoy working and they want to get back into the workforce. We have to come up with strategies on how we can do this safely.”

“We will operate strategically,” Abbott added. “If we do it too fast without appropriate strategies, it will lead to another potential closure.”

Abbott is expected to give the details of the executive order today during a press conference.

As part of the safety measures, Abbott says there will be coronavirus testing available, Newsweek explains:

Abbott also promised testing for the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19 would be part of the plan. On Wednesday, the governor announced that Walgreens locations would soon offer a test that can be administered via the drive-thru window, and will provide results within 15 minutes. Abbott estimates that each Walgreens store could test as many as 3,000 people a day. The tests are developed by Abbott Labs; despite the similar name, Gov. Abbott has no connection to the company.

If Texas safely reopens its economy hopefully this will result in other states following their lead. Maintaining social distancing and stay-at-home recommendations should be something we each decide for ourselves rather than government mandates. If we are not careful, we will watch as our economy—and our liberties—erode before our eyes.

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