Texas Governor Appeals For Out-of-State Help To Fight Latest Covid Wave: AP, Guardian, CBS

[appalachiablue]

- 2 more of the state’s largest school districts announced mask mandates as a county-owned hospital in Houston raised tents. The Guardian, Aug. 10, 2021.

The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, appealed for out-of-state help to fight the third wave of Covid-19 in his state amid dire warnings while two more of the state’s largest school districts announced mask mandates in defiance of the increasingly hardline Republican.

Abbott’s request came on Monday as a county-owned hospital in Houston raised tents to accommodate their coronavirus patient overflow. Private hospitals in the county already were requiring their staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Dallas and Austin school districts announced Monday that they would require students and staff to wear face masks. The Houston school district had announced it would implement a mask mandate for its students and staff later this week if its board approves. The highly contagious Delta variant is causing a majority of new infections.

The Republican governor has directed the Texas department of state health services to use staffing agencies to find additional medical staff from beyond the state’s borders as the Delta wave began to overwhelm its present staffing resources. He also has sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Association to request that hospitals postpone all elective medical procedures voluntarily...

More,
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/10/texas-coronavirus-covid-delta-cases-hospitals-mask-mandates



- CBS. Gov. Greg Abbott's office responds to mask mandates by school districts.

AUSTIN, Texas — Tuesday afternoon, Governor Greg Abbott's office sent out a statement in response to Austin ISD and Dallas ISD defying his executive order which bans mask requirements.

Gov. Abbott's spokesperson Renae Eze said in the statement in part, "We are all working to protect Texas children and those most vulnerable among us, but violating the Governor's executive orders -- and violating parental rights -- is not the way to do it.

Gov. Abbott has been clear that the time for mask mandates is over; now is the time for personal responsibility."

The response also suggested parents and guardians should have the freedom "to decide whether their child will wear a mask or not just as with any other decision in their child's life." - More...

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/gov-greg-abbotts-office-responds-to-mask-mandates-by-school-districts

[Texaswitchy]

1. Create the mess and then run crying for help

A little to late

[appalachiablue]

3. Chaos. Presser today on masks, 'personal resp.' above

[zuul]

2. Why would any health care workers want to go to Texas right now?

That's like going to Florida or Louisiana. And just about every state is seeing an increase in cases. It seems HCWs would want to stay in their home states.

[Texaswitchy]

4. My ass is staying home.

The safe place now.

Abbot can go volunteer.

[thucythucy]

7. Not to mention this may leave other states

short staffed.

Why should residents of states that have tried their best to handle this crisis responsibly now be expected to come to the aid of red state loser governments which are--once again--proving themselves incapable of responsible government?

Here's a suggestion: if Abbott wants help from other states, he and his entire administration should resign to make room for people competent to handle this crisis. At this point he and his ilk need to get out of the way.

I'm normally not this nasty, but I am so pissed at these people. They do their best (meaning their worst) to make this crisis as deadly as possible, criticising and demonizing the scientists and doctors and political leaders trying to manage this awful pandemic, and then come whining to the very same people for help.

I feel sad and sorry for all the innocent people who will suffer because of his craven cowardice and bull-headed ignorance. None of this had to happen--and every avoidable death and illness is on the heads of those who sought to appease their deplorable base by undermining common sense efforts to stem the carnage.

[Raven123]

5. I feel for the healthcare workers, but I suspect many outsiders balk at wading into a self made mess

[Paladin]

6. Fuck you dead, Abbott. (nt)

[tanyev]

8. Seems to me that "personal responsibility" isn't working very well, Guv.

[Skittles]

9. FUCK YOU AND YOUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, ABBOTT

I HOLD YOU DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRISIS IN TEXAS

GO FUCK YOURSELF BUT STOP FUCKING OVER THE PEOPLE AND ESPECIALLY THE KIDS.

[lees1975]

10. You want help? Resign.

[dalton99a]

11. Freedom!