Watch Gov. Greg Abbott discuss new plan to help small businesses harmed by coronavirus-related closures

Gov. Greg Abbott will hold a press conference Monday at the state Capitol, where he is expected to announce "a new small business initiative in Texas." No details of the initiative have been released, but Janie Barrera, president and CEO of LiftFund, and John Waldron, president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, are scheduled to participate.

Small businesses across the state and nation have been ravaged by the new coronavirus, with restaurants and retail shops forced to shut their doors or dramatically scale down business. In the last four weeks, more Texans applied for unemployment than in all of 2019.

The virus continues to spread in Texas, and experts say we probably haven't seen the peak. But Abbott and other state officials expressed confidence that social distancing measures have been working — and Abbott has indicated that this week he plans to begin discussing ways to reopen the economy once the worst has passed.

Watch Monday's news conference starting at 11:30 a.m. Central Time, courtesy of KXAS-TV. The feed will not be live until the governor begins speaking. Viewers may see commercials or a black screen prior to the start.