Gov. Greg Abbott orders testing of all nursing home residents and staffers
All residents and staff in Texas nursing homes will be tested for coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday. {I believe the author meant Monday.}
The state of Texas is working to rapidly expand our testing capacity especially among vulnerable populations in Texas nursing homes, Abbott said in a statement. State agencies were directed to ensure that any potential clusters of COVID-19 cases in nursing homes are quickly detected and contained, he said.
The governors announcement did not include a timetable for how long it would take to test all the nursing home residents and staffers and a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately return a request for comment.
While the rate of new cases has slowed in most large Texas urban areas, the effect of nearly two months of social distancing restrictions, some smaller Texas cities and rural areas have seen a surge in cases, often the result of outbreaks in prisons and nursing centers.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20200511/coronavirus-in-texas-gov-greg-abbott-orders-testing-of-all-nursing-home-residents-and-staffers