The governor also moved for the first time to allow the tightening of two kinds of restrictions that had been eased under his reopening plan.
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
Texas to impose new safety rules for child care centers due to increase in coronavirus cases
Gov. Greg Abbott also issued an order allowing local officials to regulate public outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people. Those officials previously could only regulate events of over 500 people.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus patients crowd some Texas ICUs as Gov. Greg Abbott touts “abundant” hospital capacity
Regionally, some hospital officials are reporting that intensive care units are near or over capacity, and local leaders have warned that hospitals could get overwhelmed if the number of infections keeps climbing.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas delays health guidelines for reopening schools this fall. Draft documents show few mandatory safety measures.
Texas education officials delayed an expected announcement of school reopening guidelines Tuesday, but a draft plan shows the state taking a light-handed role in coronavirus prevention measures. Masks and distancing are recommended but not mandatory.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas universities are shelving SAT and ACT requirements as coronavirus scrambles admissions process
Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin are the latest schools to announce a temporary suspension of test requirements. Others already had doubts about how well standardized tests predict student performance, and the pandemic has them rethinking their admissions approach.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Running for Congress while responding to a pandemic, these three Texans say they’re uniquely equipped for the job
Three Texas doctors didn’t know about the coronavirus when they filed to run for Congress this year, but now the pandemic has upended their professional and political lives.
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Coronavirus in Texas
U.S. Reps. Sylvia Garcia, Joaquin Castro call on ICE to release migrants in immigration detention centers as coronavirus cases surge
As cases surge in Texas and the pandemic rages on, the representatives said ICE should release all detainees who are not a safety risk and who are more vulnerable to contracting the virus.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott urges voluntary measures to curb coronavirus spread but says closing Texas will be “the last option”
Thousands more Texans tested positive for the new coronavirus over the weekend, and the state has reported 11 consecutive days of record-high hospitalizations.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas is heading down a dangerous path, local leaders warn as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge
When Gov. Greg Abbott let businesses start reopening, he pointed to two metrics as encouraging signs: the hospitalization rate and the infection rate. Both of those metrics are on the rise in Texas.
Watch: U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar discusses the response to the coronavirus outbreak
We sat down for a live interview with Escobar, D-El Paso, to answer questions about the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak, how El Paso is faring and what relief Texans can expect.