Texas Gov. Abbott pauses reopening amid coronavirus surge

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott on Thursday reversed course and put a stop to the reopening of the state’s economy amid record numbers of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

“The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses,” Abbott said in a prepared statement.

“This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”

Abbott also issued an executive order directing that hospitals in four hard-hit counties suspend elective surgeries, calling it a “precautionary step” to guarantee an “ample supply of available beds to treat COVID-19 patients.”

The Lone Star State’s biggest cities — Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin — are all located in the counties covered by the order.

In May, Texas became one of the first states to aggressively reopen following coronavirus lockdowns, with retail stores, restaurants, gyms and other businesses allowed to resume operations at reduced capacities.

That decision remains in effect and it wasn’t immediately clear how Abbott’s order will affect other businesses, CNBC said.

On Wednesday, Texas reported more than 5,500 new coronavirus cases, one day after Abbot recommended that residents stay indoors to stop the spread of the deadly disease, CNBC said.

Hospitalizations in Texas reached 4,739 on Thursday morning, triple the number recorded on Memorial Day, little more than a month ago, according to the Texas Tribune.

Travelers from Texas are among those whom Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered to self-quarantine upon arrival in New York to prevent a second wave of coronavirus cases in the Empire State.

Similar edicts have been issued in New Jersey and Connecticut.