Texas Gov. Greg Abbott鈥檚 diagnosis with COVID-19 Tuesday 鈥� and his 鈥� come as ICU beds in hospitals around the state grow increasingly scarce.
Abbott has made 鈥減ersonal responsibility鈥� the hallmark of his pandemic strategy since removing the statewide mask mandate in March.
鈥淧ersonal vigilance to follow the safe standards is still needed to contain COVID,鈥� he said at the time.
More recently, Abbott announced a . The order drew a from a disability rights group and defiance from several counties and school districts.
Personal responsibility and rejecting government restrictions is an appeal to Abbott鈥檚 political base, according to UT-Austin government professor Eric McDaniel. He said the AIDS epidemic taught us that politics and public health don鈥檛 mix.
鈥淭he Reagan Administration did not want to talk about safe sex,鈥� McDaniel recalled. 鈥淏ecause their supporters didn鈥檛 want to talk about that. And not talking about that actually undercut the message of trying to prevent the spread of AIDS.鈥�
Here are some of the major policy choices the governor has made since COVID-19 entered our lives:
Early Days Of The Pandemic
Initially, Gov. Abbott deferred to local officials for COVID precaution closures. Then, on March 19, 2020, he temporarily closing schools, bars, and gyms, along with restricting visits to nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Additionally, restaurants could no longer welcome dine-in customers, though 鈥渁llowed and highly encouraged鈥� takeout and drive-thru food sales.
As TPR鈥檚 Dominic Anthony Walsh , 鈥渢hese restrictions were unpopular with a swath of the population. Their dissatisfaction was most prominently voiced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, .
Spring 2020: Reopening Begins
In mid-April 鈥� about a month after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a statewide disaster in response to COVID-19 鈥� frustration was growing in Austin.
Outside of the state capitol building, about stay-at-home orders.
鈥淚鈥檓 sick of being told if I go outside and gather in a group of 10 or more that I鈥檓 gonna kill somebody or get killed,鈥� one protester told.
Soon after, Abbott made the decision to reopen.
鈥淲e鈥檝e shown that we can both continue our efforts to contain the coronavirus, while also adopting safe standards that will allow us to begin the process of reopening business in Texas,鈥� he announced on April 17.
After that announcement, Phase 1 of the governor鈥檚 plan to reopen Texas kicked off, and every two weeks a new phase began.
Reported by TPR鈥檚 Bonnie Petrie. For more, .
Summer 2020: Abbott Issues Statewide Mask Mandate
On July 2, 2020, Gov. Abbott issued an executive order requiring Texans to wear facemasks in most public settings, ...something very unpopular with hardline conservatives in his party.
Weeks later, he addressed the order at the Republican Party of Texas鈥� virtual convention.
鈥淚 know that many of you do not like the mask requirement. I don鈥檛 either,鈥� he said in a . 鈥淚t is the last thing that I wanted to do. Actually, the next to last.鈥�
As 四虎影院鈥檚 Bret Jaspers reported at the time, 鈥淭he effort to shore up support among party activists comes as Abbott is under fire over his response to the coronavirus outbreak.鈥� By July 2020, eight county Republican parties had .
All Businesses Reopen At 100% Capacity
In March 2021, Abbott that limit occupancy for businesses and require Texans to wear masks in public spaces. The governor said businesses can limit capacity or "implement additional safety protocols" if they wish and that counties can restrict occupancy if COVID-related hospitalization rates in their Trauma Service Area rise above 15% for seven straight days.
Abbott was at Montelongo鈥檚 in Lubbock when he made the announcement, and explained 鈥淚t is clear from the recoveries, from the vaccinations, from the reduced hospitalizations and from the safe practices that Texans are using, that state mandates are no longer needed.鈥�
The changes began on March 10.
鈥淚t is now time to open Texas 100%,鈥� . 鈥淓verybody who wants to work should have that opportunity. Every business that wants to open should be open.鈥�
The crowd at the restaurant cheered Abbott鈥檚 announcement, though he followed by saying it鈥檚 still up to individuals to be responsible with COVID-19 precautions.
鈥淩emoving state mandates does not end personal responsibility or the importance of caring for your family members and caring for your friends and caring for others in the community,鈥� the governor said.
Blocking Mask Mandates And The Fight Against Local Governments And Schools
Abbott in May of 2021 prohibiting cities, counties, school districts, public health authorities and other government entities from requiring people to wear face coverings.
At the time, Travis County Judge Andy Brown criticized Abbott's order, calling it "irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst."
"By prohibiting school districts from taking common-sense steps to keep kids safe, the Governor has put our most vulnerable, young children, at risk ... By prohibiting local communities from having basic mask requirements in place, he has put at risk our public servants and essential workers, folks who have put the health and safety of themselves and their families on the line throughout the pandemic," .
In July 2021, on his push to ensure COVID-19 vaccines and mask-wearing remained optional in the state. He issued an executive order that effectively voided nearly all of his previous COVID-related executive orders and combined some of them into one. The main takeaway: The state and local governments can鈥檛 require masks or vaccines. That prompted local leaders and school districts to push back, in defiance of the governor鈥檚 orders.
This Month
Abbott Aug. 9 that Texas will bring in medical personnel from out of state to help treat COVID-19 patients. The governor also asked hospitals to voluntarily postpone elective medical procedures.
On Aug. 17, 2021, the governor鈥檚 office announced Abbott . His office said he was not experiencing symptoms and was receiving . Abbott was vaccinated against COVID-19 in December. His diagnosis came as Texas was seeing its highest COVID-related hospitalizations and the governor was locked in over , cities and counties can require masks.
四虎影院's Bret Jaspers, KUT鈥檚 Marisa Charpentier and Rachel Osier Lindley of The Texas Newsroom contributed to this report.
