Starr County had more than 1,800 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, with the most recent being as young as 5 years old. The county’s only hospital, which has fewer than 50 beds and no intensive care unit, has been at capacity for weeks. Hanna’s lashing winds and rain grounded medical transport helicopters for days, leaving doctors with no ability to airlift the most critical patients.
“We’re in a dire situation,” Rio Grande City Mayor Joel Villarreal said. “If we continue on the same trajectory, countless more lives will be lost.”
Local officials have pleaded with Abbott for weeks to allow them to use tougher enforcement measures to force the use of face masks and business closures. Abbott said local governments already have the authority of civil fines.
The governor has resisted calls to impose a new statewide lockdown and said Tuesday that there are signs his previous orders requiring masks and closing bars are working.
While deaths remain high, Texas has reported fewer than 10,000 new daily confirmed cases since July 18 and the rolling positivity rate has dropped under 13% for the first time since late June.
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