Florida, Texas Governors Refuse Lockdowns Amid Surge in Coronavirus Cases

Texas and Florida, America's two largest Republican states, will not have lockdowns as a new wave of coronavirus cases sweeps the country.

Both Governor Greg Abbott of Texas and Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida announced that their respective states would not be going in any more lockdowns.

Abbott said in an interview that lockdowns aren't part of his focus presently. Instead, he wants Texas to be "working to heal" those infected by the coronavirus, said a report from Texas Tribune.

On the other hand, The Hill reported that DeSantis thinks lockdowns in Florida will only "hurt families who can't afford to shelter in place for 6 weeks."

The news came as at least a 10 percent increase was seen in 45 of the 50 states from the previous week, reported Daily Wire.

Texas Wants People Back to 'Normal Routines

Abbott wants COVID-19 patients to "leave the hospitals and get back to their normal routines.

"In the state's efforts to make this a reality, he plans to rely on "the data-driven hospitalization metrics used by doctors and medical experts," said an NBC News report.

Renae Eze, a spokesperson for the governor, said in a statement last week that the state is working closely with local officials in gathering the needed resources to address the spikes.

She added that Texas also plans to distribute the antibody therapy drug made by Eli Lilly. Practicing all safety protocols such as hand washing and mask-wearing were also encouraged.

"The protocols work, but only if they are enforced," Eze said.Texas had over 1.1 million cases of coronavirus and 20,274 virus-related deaths, as per data compiled by NBC.

Over the past two weeks, it witnessed a 47 percent increase in cases. The positivity rate in the state also exceeded 10 percent for over three weeks.

According to Texas Tribune, the state depends on a two-month-old blueprint based on hospitalizations so it can stay open.

Florida Prepares to Aid Assisted Living Facilities

Meanwhile, DeSantis was hesitant to lock down, especially with a 99.8 percent survival rate.

Right now, one of the governor's biggest concerns was the status of assisted living facilities. Such facilities face a higher risk of infection from the coronavirus.

To prevent unprecedented spreading, DeSantis plans to be "prepared to move therapeutic and prophylactic assets to those facilities as needed."

He also said reopening businesses was not driving the negative effects of the virus on long term care facilities.

Over the weekend, Florida reported more than 10,000 cases in a single day, said a report from CBS West Palm Beach. But DeSantis's office attributed the number to a varying amount of testing that local officials report.

According to Daily Wire, he believed the high numbers were due to a "large submission file" that "skewed the numbers for that day."

Since the pandemic began, DeSantis consistently resisted putting statewide lockdowns in place. Instead, he insisted the state has to support more vulnerable populations from the virus over the general public.