AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday again extended the statewide COVID-19 disaster declaration.
The declaration was originally issued on March 13 and covers all Texas counties. It was put in place to provide the state with a variety of resources to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"Renewing this Disaster Declaration helps ensure that we have the resources and strategies in place to help communities across Texas respond to COVID-19," Abbott said in a release issued Monday. "I urge Texans to take precautionary steps to protect their health by wearing a mask, social distancing, and sanitizing their hands. Working together, we will slow the spread and keep our communities safe.”
The following were actions enacted in the original disaster declaration that has been extended.
- Authorizing the use of all available and necessary state government resources to help manage this situation.
- Activating the state emergency management plan and the State Operations Center to enhance the state’s planning and response capabilities.
- Giving TDEM the ability to reassign and fully utilize appropriate personnel where they are needed most.
- Providing the immediate ability to move resources around the state, including resources obtained through the Strategic National Stockpile.
- Empowering the Office of the Texas Attorney General (OAG) to pursue cases of price-gouging and ensure that offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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