The governor began the state party convention Thursday by addressing head-on the growing discontent with his orders to contain the pandemic.
Coronavirus in Texas
As the coronavirus spread across the state, The Texas Tribune covered the most important health, economic, academic and breaking developments that affected Texans. Our map tracker showed the number of cases, deaths, tests and vaccinations in Texas from 2020-22.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Distilleries, wineries shuttered by Gov. Greg Abbott’s bar shutdown say they should be exempted
Distillery, winery and some restaurant owners say their businesses are different from traditional bars, which Abbott closed after COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations began to climb in June.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas officials scramble to provide school reopening guidelines with only weeks of summer left
Conflicting mandates pingponging between state and local officials are frustrating many parents, students and teachers trying to plan for a fall semester during a raging pandemic.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas A&M System will provide free COVID-19 tests, but it’s a mixed bag for other schools
Up to 15,000 test kits will be available per month across its 11 universities. The system has set aside $16 million to pay for the testing program.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Julián and Joaquin Castro criticize Gov. Greg Abbott for reopening Texas too soon
Julián Castro said Abbott made three consequential mistakes: reopening the state too early, not pushing hard enough to get adequate testing or contact tracing, and banning local officials from requiring masks in the earlier months of the pandemic.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas classrooms can stay closed this fall without losing state funding if local health officials order it
School districts won’t lose state funding if they stick with virtual classes this fall because a local health authority has mandated that classrooms remain closed.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas will extend time that schools will be allowed to stay online-only, Gov. Greg Abbott says
Schools had previously been told that they would need to limit online-only instruction to the first three weeks of the school year, or they’d lose state funding.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the U.S. And during the pandemic, an estimated 659,000 Texans lost their health care.
The pandemic-driven economic downturn has left more than 5.4 million Americans with no job and no insurance. Texas has one of the largest shares of this increase.
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Coronavirus in Texas
This asylum seeker fled to Texas to escape violence, only to test positive for coronavirus while fighting deportation
Two sisters fled Guatemala six years apart. The older sister received asylum and settled in California. The younger one was denied and is now fighting COVID-19 in an El Paso detention center.
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Coronavirus in Texas
In reversal, federal government will allow international students to stay in the U.S. while taking only online classes
The repeal follows outspoken criticism from universities, legal experts and higher education advocates, who deemed the rules unfairly punitive for foreign students.