This press conference (TX Governor) isn’t filling me with strong feelings of Texan pride.
tl;dr so far: Things are getting bad. Bad is not good. Keep washing your hands and wear a mask, but I ain’t gonna make you. We’re going to test more and don’t worry, plenty of hospital beds
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That was it? That’s everything? Now Q&A.
First question “I remember when I could get into an uninsured car, pop open a beer, leave my seat belt off, and drive anywhere… but public safety demanded changes. When will that be true re masks?”
And he dodged the question of “why not require masks” by saying “what is true in Austin, TX is different than Austin County” so no statewide mandate… but now calling things like Austin’s ban is “requiring masks”.
In short, his words act like his whole “no mask penalties!” was just political theater that he’s ignoring now. That’s just how I’m hearing it.
Q: What about July 4?
A: My EO gives flexibility for local areas to make their own rules… for gatherings of over 500 people. [Otherwise, “they are allowed”]
Q: What about being consistent with masks?
A: Mid-May, eh. Now, matters. You see me wearing a mask now. Speak of it like a “minds and hearts” thing. Just convince people they are needed else we close things down.
Skips about his orders banning penalties.
(all my Q&A responses very rough paraphrasing. I’m not a journalist).
Q: What about voting?
A: Vote early, wear a mask. It’s no big deal.
Q: How close are we to reconsidering the phased reopening or reverse any of it?
A: Follow the data. If people return to the practices from a couple of months ago [before the reopening told people to change], we’ll be able to handle this.
“Surely the public can understand if these spikes continue to rise, we need to change things to be okay.” That’s close to an exact quote.
Yet, I cancelled the spring season for my baseball league, but most of the leagues around town are playing it now. ¯(ツ)/¯
End of conference. Wearing a mask, Gov. Abbott leaves the room.