To stop the spread of the new coronavirus in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars and banned nonessential surgeries in counties that are hot spots. But indoor conventions that will draw thousands of people are still moving forward.
Meena Venkataramanan
Meena Venkataramanan was a reporting fellow at The Texas Tribune in the summer of 2020. Meena is a founder of the multimedia storytelling initiative Stories from the Border, participated in the Politico journalism institute and was a political fellow for ABC News. She has also worked for the Harvard Political Review, the Harvard Crimson and the Harvard Advocate, an art and literary magazine. Meena is fluent in Tamil and Spanish.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Doctors reverse course, say Texas GOP should cancel in-person convention
One day after The Texas Tribune reported that the Texas Medical Association was a sponsor for the indoor convention that is expected to draw 6,000 people, the doctors’ group announced it was calling on organizers to cancel.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas will delay work-search requirement for unemployment benefits
The Texas Workforce Commission had been planning to reinstate the requirement July 6 but is now holding off due to a rise in coronavirus cases.
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Coronavirus in Texas
The Texas GOP convention will gather thousands of people indoors without a mask requirement. One of its sponsors is the Texas Medical Association.
The Texas Medical Association, the state’s largest medical group, said it is hopeful convention attendees will wear masks and practice social distancing.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas Republicans move forward with plans for an indoor convention in Houston, the state’s biggest coronavirus hot spot
Gov. Greg Abbott is allowing limits on outdoor crowds — but not indoor gatherings. His party’s convention — with an expected attendance of 6,000 — so far will not require attendees to wear face masks.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Judge orders ICE to free migrant children from family detention during coronavirus pandemic, report says
The Associated Press reported that a judge wrote in her order that migrant detention centers “are ‘on fire’ and there is no more time for half measures.”
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Coronavirus in Texas
As evictions resume in Texas, unemployed renters have few options
While cities and legal aid agencies are setting up resources for tenants, many judges explained that they won’t be able to consider loss of employment in eviction cases.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texans struggle to find work in the Rio Grande Valley, where unemployment has nearly tripled
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, limits on cross-border commerce and a downturn in the energy sector have hit the Rio Grande Valley’s economy especially hard.
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Coronavirus in Texas
New York imposes travel restrictions on visitors from Texas, the latest coronavirus hot spot
The tables have turned: Texas previously had similar self-quarantining requirements for hot spots like New York and Louisiana. Now that Texas is the latest hot spot, states are imposing restrictions against travelers from the Lone Star State.
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COVID-19 Recession in Texas
Texas’ unemployment rate for May slightly fell to 13% as economists say coronavirus pandemic will hinder recovery
Experts say coronavirus infections and hospitalizations in Texas — which have set new records in recent days — may have the biggest influence on how fast the state’s economy recovers.