Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activates National Guard to be ready for coronavirus response
Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he is activating the Texas National Guard to be ready to help with the state’s response to the novel coronavirus.
“The National Guard has been involved in this process from the beginning. It’s just at this particular point in time, I want to fully activate the National Guard. But no National Guard need to be deployed at this time,” Abbott said at the State Operations Center in Austin ahead of a call with hospitals across the state.
In a statement following the announcement, Abbott stressed that activating the Texas National Guard is a precautionary measure to ensure they are ready at a moment’s notice.
First responders and health care workers who are members of the Texas National Guard will be exempt, “because they need to be on the front lines of making sure that we are providing all the healthcare that is needed for those who may contract COVID-19,” Abbott said.
In a statement following Abbott’s announcement, Lt. Col. Laura Sanchez Cross, a spokeswoman for the Texas Military Department, said the department is preparing to ensure the Texas Guard can respond as needed.
“The Texas National Guard has unique resources and equipment to support our civilian partners, and we bring a wide breadth of expertise and assets to enhance the COVID-19 response with trained personnel for this type of emergency,” Cross said. “We hope that the people of Texas find comfort in knowing that we are Texans, and we will work together during this difficult time.”
Abbott joined a growing number of governors of states such as New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Colorado and West Virginia who activated their national guards following declarations of states of disaster.
Abbott also updated the number of confirmed cases in Texas.
Monday night, the state’s first death related to COVID-19 was reported in a man in his 90s who was a resident of Matagorda County who had been hospitalized for the illness. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were at least 64 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 19 counties, and 1,264 Texans had been tested, Abbott said.
“And that number will continue to increase dramatically in the coming days,” Abbott said as testing capabilities ramp up statewide in conjunction with public health departments, private labs and federal agencies.
This week, Texas will be receiving 15,000 COVID-19 test kits from the Federal Emergency Management Agency alone, Abbott said, and he anticipates by the end of this week Texas will be capable of testing about 10,000 people weekly.
In a statement Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency stressed that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the lead federal agency managing the response to COVID-19 — not FEMA.
“Community-Based Testing Sites (CBTS) will be state-managed and locally executed operations integrated with broader state public health services which may require varying levels of federal personnel support,” a FEMA spokesperson said. “FEMA’s role has been assisting HHS with planning, coordination, logistics, and outreach with supporting states to identify sites and operational requirements.”
In a press conference Monday in San Antonio, Abbott had said Texans need to be prepared for the “mathematical reality” that as testing becomes more widely available throughout the state, there will be an “exponential increase in the number of people that test positive on a daily basis.”
On the call with representatives from hospitals across the state, Abbott announced a temporary waiver for hospitals to increase unused bed capacity without being required to submit an application or associated fees, according to a news release following the call.
Tuesday evening, Abbott also announced he waived certain regulations and directed the Texas Department of Insurance to issue an emergency rule in order to allow patients with state-regulated plans to pay the same for telemedicine visits as they would for in-office visits for insurance purposes. Additional guidance for medical providers was expected in the coming days, and insurers should contact TDI, according to the news release.
“As the State of Texas responds to COVID-19, we continue to work to maintain regular health care services and operations throughout the state, and telemedicine is one of the most valuable tools we have to ensure Texans continue to receive the health services they need,” Abbott said in a statement.
Tuesday, Abbott also requested the U.S. Small Business Administration implement an Economic Injury Disaster declaration to provide long-term, low-interest loans to qualifying businesses in Texas who are being economically impacted by the coronavirus’ spread.
Small businesses who believe they are eligible should visit the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s website to apply for assistance.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 12:43 PM.
