On Sunday, governor of Texas Greg Abbott had increased travel restrictions into the state due to the COVID-19 crisis. He also announced the first pop-up hospital in the state to help deal with the deadly novel coronavirus. Additionally, he said that he is standing firm on stopping the release of dangerous felons amid the COVID-19 pandemic, says an article.

Expansion of the Self-Quarantine Order

According to Abbott, he will be making an expansion of a recent executive order requiring a 14-day-self-quarantine for those who flew from Connecticut, New Jersey, New Orleans, and New York. The expansion includes requiring anyone who came from Louisiana, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, California, and Washington.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center

The first ad hoc healthcare facility in Texas will be the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center located in Dallas, says Abbott. It is an original hotspot for the COVID-19 outbreak at the state-level.

Currently, the convention has a capacity of 250 beds. It has a spacious area that can be expanded massively if the need arises.

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Plenty of Hospital Capacity

According to Abbott, there is a huge number of hospital capacity to meet the demands of a state-wide outbreak. Also, the hospitals in the state are still the primary place for the treatment of the COVID-19.

In the previous week, the total number of hospital beds in the state for COVID-19 patients had doubled. There are more than 16,000 available beds reported as of Thursday last week.

The increase of the total available hospital bed as a result of a previous executive order a week ago that bans non-essential surgeries in the entire state.

The New Louisiana Travel Restrictions

Based on the statement of Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety will be responsible for monitoring the entry point from Louisiana to enforce the new Louisiana travel restrictions. However, the restrictions do not apply to travels with the purpose of commercial activities, emergency response, military service, important infrastructure functions, and health response.

An Inmate Testing Positive for the COVID-19

The orders from Abbott came after state and local officials are debating whether to release as many as thousands of prisoners who are awaiting trial from the Harris County Jail. The Harris County Jail had reported at least one inmate who tested positive for the COVID-19. There are thirty more inmates who had shown symptoms of the illness.

Advocates are fighting for as many inmates as they can to be released from county jails in the state. These advocates are claiming the increased threat of the spread of the COVID-19 due to the poor sanitary condition at the jails and the close quarters.

The Decision to Release the Inmates or Not

On Sunday, Abbott and Texas Attorney General Paxton requested to intervene in a federal lawsuit in Harris County. Currently, a federal judge will be deciding to either release or not Harris County Jail inmates.