Lockdown in Texas will end on April 30, says Governor Greg Abbott

Amid growing frustration against the lockdown order in several states of the US, Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday said that he will not extend his stay-at-home order for the state after Thursday (April 30). The announcement sends a clear message that Abbott is aiming for a phased exit from the social distancing measures meant to curb the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

Abbott's new move will supersede all local orders, allowing businesses like retail stores, malls, restaurants and theaters to reopen Friday but limits occupancy to 25%. The order will also allow libraries and museums to reopen.

The Texas govenreor also saud that he also wants barbershops, salons, gyms and bars open "as soon as possible" and expressed hope that these services will start their operations around mid-May.

"Now it's time to set a new course, a course that responsibly opens up business in Texas. We will open in a way that uses safe standards -- safe standards for businesses, for their employees as well as for their customers. Standards based upon data and on doctors," Abbott said.

Abbott made the announcement at a time when some more states in the US are planning phased reopenings of their economies, despite the call by public health professionals to not do so.

Experts maintain that in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 without proper strict social distancing mesures, states and localities will have to come up with measures to build the capacity for additional testing and contact tracing. According to CNN, several medical and public health officials in Texas have claimed that the state isn't doing enough testing to end lockdown restrictions.

Abbott, however, rejected the claim saying the state "should easily exceed our goal of 25,000 tests per day" by early May. He added that  White House coronavirus response coordinator  and that Dr. Deborah Birx has told him "the Texas plan was great."

"Now more than ever, Texans must remain committed to safe distancing practices that reduce the spread of Covid-19, and we must continue to rely on doctors and data to provide us with the safest strategies to restore Texans' livelihoods. We must also focus on protecting the most vulnerable Texans from exposure to Covid-19. If we remain focused on protecting the lives of our fellow Texans, we can continue to open the Lone Star State," Abbott remarked.