HOUSTON – When it comes to the next steps in the coronavirus response, the Montgomery County judge made his wishes clear.
“Governor, it’s time to open Texas. Let’s do it and let’s do it now,” Judge Mark Keough said in a Facebook video posted Thursday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott replied to a tweet from someone in the restaurant industry on Aug. 31 saying Texas would not have any more lockdowns and that he hoped to provide updates about the next steps this week.
He did not write what those next steps might be or specify when they would be announced.
“Whether we are open or closed, 99% of us are going to survive this,” Keough said.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called for a different approach when he weighed in on the issue last week.
“We have yet to get this positivity rate to five percent or below. I would certainly caution any movement to aggressively move forward,” Turner said last Wednesday.
The restrictions have impacted people and businesses across the state, from capacity limits to mask rules.
“I think they should just make rules in moderation, not restrict everybody’s rights and their freedoms,” said Justin Segrest, who lives in the North Houston area. “I don’t think rules are bad but to a point.”