Name: Hidalgo: COVID demands 'another pullback' for Harris County
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Hidalgo: COVID demands 'another pullback' for Harris County

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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, which this week became the first state to , demands a more aggressive response that may include more restrictions, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday.Hidalgo used her annual State of the County address to criticize what she views as a half-hearted state and federal response that has led to unnecessary deaths and a laggard economy stuck in a cycle of halted reopenings.She called for the adoption of science-based shutdown thresholds, similar to the county’s threat level system, and lamented that Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year stripped local officials of the ability to issue enforceable COVID-19 restrictions on travel and commerce. The recent, sustained increases in cases and hospitalizations will lead to new shutdowns, she predicted.More Coronavirus News“Inevitably, another pullback is necessary,” Hidalgo said. “We see the numbers in El Paso. Our hospitals were almost overwhelmed in June and July, and now our numbers are again ticking up. We have to get this under control.”Houston region hospitals reported 1,079 admitted COVID patients on Thursday, the highest figure since Sept. 7, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. Hospitalizations peaked in mid-July just below 4,000 and had been steadily declining until October.The percent of ICU patients who are COVID-positive again has grown beyond 15 percent, the warning threshold used by health officials.Harris County has been at its highest threat level since mid-June, which urges residents to stay home when possible and avoid unnecessary contact with others. Though some have criticized Hidalgo for sticking to the recommendation, even as most people have resumed some form of normal life, Hidalgo said the county never met all the criteria for downgrading to Level 2. Those include a test positivity rate of 5 percent and a daily new case average of 400.Hidalgo did not mention the governor by name, but her message to his administration was clear: adopt a set of metrics, stick to them and let science rather than politics guide Texas through a potentially grim winter before a vaccine is ready next year.A spokeswoman for the governor did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.Abbott told a Dallas-Fort Worth television station on Wednesday that businesses will be able to remain open so long as Texans “return to those safe practices” that helped the state defeat the summer surge in cases.Hidalgo, a Democrat, touted a with the Republican governor during the early months of the pandemic, convinced Abbott would make necessary though difficult decisions based on the data. After he in June to issue a new shutdown order, or let her do so, Hidalgo told the county’s 4.7 million residents to stay home anyway.She has been more vocal in airing her pandemic policy disagreements with Abbott since.The annual State of the County event typically is held in a downtown hotel ballroom, preceded by a luncheon with elected officials, political donors and civic leaders. The pandemic rendered that format impossible.Instead, Hidalgo held a “fireside chat” with H-E-B President Scott McClelland at the Greater Houston Partnership offices. The pair wore masks and sat six feet from one another.Hidalgo also discussed how Commissioners Court has tried to help residents through the pandemic, including for small businesses and renters.She recalled attending George Floyd’s funeral in Houston in June and noted the criminal justice reforms the county is considering, including a new .She mentioned other racial justice items, including the court’s recent approval of an for county vendors and $2.5 million to help poor immigrants .Hidalgo reiterated her support for the Ike Dike to protect the region from storms, but noted that since the project could take decades to complete, policy makers also should pursue smaller-scale flood mitigation projects.zach.despart@chron.com

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe worsening COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, which this week became the first state to , demands a more aggressive response that may include more restrictions, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday.Hidalgo used her annual State of the County address to criticize what she views as a half-hearted state and federal response that has led to unnecessary deaths and a laggard economy stuck in a cycle of halted reopenings.She called for the adoption of science-based shutdown thresholds, similar to the county’s threat level system,...

Hidalgo: COVID demands 'another pullback' for Harris County

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