For the first time in american history, a federal disaster has been declared for all 50 states. 700,000 americans have been infected with covid19. More than 35,000 of them have tragically lost their lives. The economic damage has hit even more americans than the coronavirus itself. More than 22 million americans have filed for unemployment. Texans havemillion filed unemployment claims. Businesses have shuddered. Paychecks have disappeared. Food bank lines are swelling across texas as more families seek food that they desperately need. Well, in typical texas fashion, you have come together to support one another. You have made personal sacrifices to ensure that our state slows the spread of covid19. You helped to reduce the number of texans who needed hospital care. You truly helped to save lives. Now, texas needs you to continue those efforts. But i want you to know that we theespecially grateful for doctors, nurses, first responders, and all medical personnel who have been battling the frontlines against this invisible enemy. We are also thankful to the Unsung Heroes serving us childcare staff, food service, the folk who cleaner hospitals. We are grateful for president trump. And thesident pence, entire Trump Administration to being available to me and my fellow governors 247 throughout this entire pandemic. I also want to recognize the members of the texas house and senate for their leading efforts i wantr districts, and to recognize all of our local leaders for their continued partnership as we collectively respond to the coronavirus in texas. Because of the efforts by everyone to slow the spread, we are now beginning to see glimmers that the worst of covid19 may soon be behind us. The number of infections and hospitalizations is beginning to level off. Of ppe,a steady supply like face masks. We have plenty of hospital rooms and ventilators to treat our fellow texans. I will add this. Secondmoste recoveries from covid19 of all states in america. Canave demonstrated that we corral the coronavirus. We continue increasing our testing capabilities to help us identify and care for texans who have covid19. New strategies are being used by private businesses and the private sector to contain the coronavirus. Temperaturechecking , distancing practices, better sanitation standards. Bothve shown that we can continue our efforts to contain the coronavirus while also safe standards that will allow us to begin the process of reopening business in texas. So today, i am issuing an executive order that outlines how we go about opening the texas economy. Helping you return to work using the safest standards to contain the coronavirus. Mustin opening texas, we be guided by data and by doctors. We must put health and safety first. We must prioritize protecting our most vulnerable populations. Input fromgetting medical professionals as well as business and Community Leaders to determine the safe and sure way to reopen texas without spurring the spread of the coronavirus. To guide this effort, i have strikea statewide force open texas. The Team IncludesLieutenant Governor patrick, the speaker of the house, the attorney general, and the comptroller. They are joined by a team of nationallyrecognized medical advisors who will inform us about the best Health Care Standards to prevent the spread of covid19. Those advisors include a commissioner for state health mcclellan, who served both as fda commissioner and medicaid and medicare administrator for the u. S. , but also includes an Infectious Disease specialist and director of testing and tracing of covid19 at the university of texas medical school, dr. Parker hudson. It includes the executive vice chancellor Health Affairs at the university of texas. They will Work Together to develop a medical architecture to comprehensively test covid19 that will allow texas to gradually and safely begin the process of returning to work and returning to other activities while we wait for the immunizations that will end the threat of covid19. Our medical team will work with an Advisory Committee will share information and innovative ideas and innovative ideas to help businesses strategically reopen while also containing the spread of the coronavirus. They include entrepreneurs like kendra scott. Leaders liked tech robert smith. Economic Development Leaders like bob roland. Small business leaders. Economic experts like richard fisher, the former president and ceo of the Federal Reserve in dallas. Dining and entertainment true lasers entertainment true lasers entertainment trailblazers like bill millers restaurants in san antonio, texas. Nonprofit organizations, leaders and kirk watson. This team will collaborate with working groups who open up texas while keeping our community safe. Chairman be led by a who has successfully run businesses and knows his way around the capital. He will preside over a fulltime aaff spearheaded by mike t. , proven chief operating officer who knows how to quickly deliver results. I want you to know, i already begun working with this team about next steps for texas. James and the fulltime staff have been working around the clock. Has alreadyadvisers finished the first meeting and have begun the process of making recommendations. As a result of our combined efforts, i am issuing executive orders today that will begin the process of opening texas. Openingrstand this, texas must occur in stages. Obviously, not all businesses can open all at once. That fully open without distancing standards will be more likely to set us back rather than to propel us forward. A more strategic approach requires that we do not reopen to have to shut down once again. First, we will be opening, d today, activities that will pose minimal to no spreading covid19. Second, additional openings will be announced on april 27 after for input from the advisors in the medical staff. Third, even more openings will be announced in may, when it is determined that the infection rate continues to decline, that Hospital Capacity remains available, and when testing capacities are sufficient to detect and contain outbreaks of covid19. The First Executive order today establishes the governors strikeforce to open texas. It spells out the organization and the duties of the strikeforce. They will gather information and make recommendations about ways that businesses can reopen as well as safe practices those businesses should use. My next executive order focuses , hospitals,nurses and medical staff. Many doctors and nurses have because of the need to postpone nonessential medical procedures. That was done to free up pe neededcapacity and p to treat covid19 patients. Today, texas has plenty of Hospital Capacity. We have a solid supply chain of ppe. And many of our doctors and nurses have patience who whoerately need patients desperately need medical treatment. It is time to allow those doctors and nurses to return to work. Wayser, it must be done in to ensure that we will be able to treat covid19 patients. Adequate supplies of hospital beds and ppe must be maintained to ensure that all covid19 needs are met. So, effective april 22, which obviously is next week, current restrictions on surgery will be lifted. Tos will allow doctors diagnose and treat more medical conditions without needing to get an exception. One example of this would be a diagnostic test for the suspected cancer. Now, while losing restrictions for doctors, we are enhancing standards to protect our vulnerable seniors who live in Nursing Homes and assisted living centers. To protect against covid19 getting into those living centers, we are requiring Infection Control policies and minimizing the movement of staff between those facilities. Is my executive order about and texas. Retailers are an important part of our economy. They provide you with phonics that we need and want and create so many jobs. During our battle with covid19 over the past month and a half, we have seen retailers still products sell products without going into stores. Simply order the product and you pick it up or have it delivered to you. Because we have seen this works, covid19, containing we believe that all stores in texas should be able to operate retailtogo beginning next friday, one week from today. This allows you to be able to access more retailers while also minimizing contact with others. It also sets standards on retailers that assures safe practices intended to reduce exposure to covid19. To learn what those standards are, go to dshs. Texas. Gov coronavirus. Next, your physical and Mental Health are important. Especially in times like these. Going to parks is an effective i o address those those themes. Parks will be reopened this coming monday. To reduce possible transmission of covid19 in parks, visitors must wear face coverings or masks. Visitors must maintain a distance of at least six feet from people who are not members of the same household. And for now, visitors cannot gather in groups larger than f ive. Executive order also addresses schools. The team of doctors advising us has determined it would be unsafe to allow students together in schools for the for seeable future. As a result, School Classrooms are closed for the remainder of the 20192020 school year. Public,ludes all private, and Higher Education institutions. Thehers will be allowed in classroom for video instruction or to perform administrative duties or clean up their classrooms. Education, the commissioner will soon provide more detail about how to proceed, and he will explore how to conduct or jewish in ceremonies. For higher how to conduct graduation ceremonies. For Higher Education, how to conclude programming the semester and how to conduct semesters this coming summer. Steps, on monday, april 27th, we will announce additional ways to open texas. In these next 10 days, we will create a phasein strategy to open texas in a safeway. It will require comprehensive testing and assurances of hospital readiness for covid19 patients. It will focus on containing the risk of resurgence of covid19 and protecting our most vulnerable texans. On april 27, revised plans will be announced. The new plans will be based on how well maintained covid19 is in the state of texas. The plans will consider standards to protect our vulnerable residents while allowing others to increase their interactions. They will outline which practices are safe for employers to use. They will consider the possibility of opening more venues. , movielike restaurants theaters, and other gathering places that can provide safe distancing practices. They will also consider expanding elective surgeries. We will consider, in fact, all strategies that may open up texas while also keeping is protected from the expansion us protected from the expansion of covid19. Let me close with this. Battling a colossal challenge. An invisible enemy that has tested our lives and tested our likelihood. Brand, the texas however, is our ability to overcome challenges. We have overcome for more challenges than we can possibly count. Together, we can bend the curve. Together, we can overcome this pandemic. We can get folks back to work. Strategiest safe that prevent the spread of covid19. Will openbystep, we texas. Next, i will turn it over to james h. Thank you, governor. These are indeed unprecedented times, but as texans have proved time and time again, we are a resilient state. And with your leadership, i know that we will make it through this together. I am honored to join you and all of the outstanding members of this task force to serve the people of texas and help lead our state through this challenge. As the governor said, this team exists to one form him on the reopen thegies to texas economy and get texas back , and i while protecting will repeat, while protecting the health and safety of all texans. We have already begun working around the clock to accomplish this mission. Texans are that all hurting economically and are ready to get back to work so that they can begin to earn a paycheck again. But i want to reiterate what the governor said. That slowingt is the spread of this virus and remains ourns safe top priority. Every recommendation, every action by the governor, will be informed and based on hard data and the expertise of our chief medical advisors. Everything we do will be medically sound. These nationally recognized advisors are leading experts in in their fields, and we will rely on their knowledge and expertise every step of the way. Joining them will be leaders from all sectors of the economy as well as the Public Sector leaders. They are experts in their fields, ranging from torastructure, to energy, education and economic development. They are already working on Innovative Solutions to keep his this to keep texas businesses open. We have a great challenge ahead of us. The governor has assembled a team that is up to this task. This is not something that can be achieved overnight. It will be a gradual process to reopen texas, while at the same time, keeping all texans safety. But i assure you, this team will work night and day to restore texans texashoods and keep the economy the greatest in the nation. Thank you, governor. This is an incredible plan. Looking at the data from the medical side as well as looking of folks who have great experience in business and economics. We can do it. I think we see around us the evidence that we have slowed the spread of covid19. We are not quite over the hump, but we should take great satisfaction by the progress we have made so far. Covid19 did not explode. Meet the worstt predictions that are out there. And it is because of the actions of texans. We have the ability to take the steps that are necessary to contain covid19. And as we go forward and open texas, we will require that same discipline in order to be successful, while being sick at the same time. Gov. Abbott Lieutenant Governor. Thank you, governor. Isreat author once said, it not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning. We might not quite see the end of the beginning yet, but we are sure making progress because of 29 million texans who have joined. That is really the strikeforce, governor, the 29 million texans. I want to thank the team. We are going to continue to work hard. Our senators,k working with our businesses to help reopen and answer questions. We will be bringing a lot of recommendations to you and look forward to working with you on that. I just want to tell texans that we have this great opportunity to reallye country open up our economy. As we go through these phases, the it is important that we do not let our guard down. We still have to focus on the social distancing issues. We have to respect each other, and we have to be safe first. I feel like today, governor, is not the end of the beginning, but we are beginning to move to that point. God bless you. Thank you for what you have done so far for the state of texas. Gov. Abbott now the speaker. Think you, governor. I want to begin by thanking the governor and all of the state employees and their health care workers, doctors who have worked day and night. Positive a place because of their selfless efforts. Said,ieutenant governor we are working hard where we are best. In our districts, in our communities, where we are closest to the people we represent. It is even more important that we show caring and love and compassion for each other than we even already have. As we see pieces of our economy open back up, dozens of us who open,e may be back have to show the restraint and the respect to those businesses who are able to start operating so that we can continue to beat the virus. And the more successful we are defeating the curve and beating the virus, the more rapidly will be back to operation. Withe must do it respect to each other and consider each others desires. The more we do that with regards to the guidelines, the more moress we will have on a rapid timeline. Thank you, governor, for your continuous leadership. He has not taken a breath and his work day and night for texas. , wehe and this great team look forward to working with and supporting all of you and getting texas back to being the great state it is. Thank you. Gov. Abbott thank you very much. We will be happy to take a few questions. Governor, you mentioned testing. That remains a concern for people who look at the numbers. Can you tell us what specific strategies and specific benchmarks you may have Going Forward as you reopen the texas economy . Specifically when it comes to testing . Gov. Abbott a core component of the ability for texas to open up our businesses and open up more of our socializing is going to be tied to the increased testing that we will be conducting. Was on a telephone conference with the president , the Vice President , and dr. Birx yesterday talking about strategies. Through that phone conference, multiple conversations ive had, through information i have winen with my supply chain, of the visibility we have for a dramatic increase in the amount of testing will be able to do. We have the visibility for a dramatic increase in the amount of testing we will be able to do. Also being able to test entire communities so we have better information about what a setting looks like. What the infection rate may be. Also testing strategies were we can identify those who test positive and make sure they are taken care of in ways that they do not spread the virus to others. We know that until there is immunization or therapeutic drugs that can treat the coronavirus, this can still spread. People will have to maintain distancing strategies. We will also need to deploy this testing regime across the entire state of texas to mature we continue to contain the coronavirus. Is there a specific number of Testing Capacity people can look forward to . Gov. Abbott in the short term, you can continue daily increases with the information that we have about a massive amount of testing capability coming to texas by late aprilearly may. Until a certain number can be given, should any businesses be able to open up . When we will know the actual numbers, how quickly . Gov. Abbott decisions like what you are asking about, the ability for businesses to open up, will be driven by two things one is what our medical team what theand two is data shows. If the data contin