Panhandle Times

Wheeler County Republican Chairman Elizabeth McDowell is calling for Gov. Greg Abbott to fully re-open Texas and commit to keeping the state open.

McDowell said the state needs to reopen fully and stay that way.

“Texas should denounce further lockdowns!” McDowell told Panhandle Times. “I plan to help vote out every public official that has acted like a Democrat during this crisis.”  

Abbott is coming under fire in the face of an extension over Labor Day weekend of a disaster proclamation regarding Covid-19.

The extension comes on the heels of a Centers for Disease Control recently revision of Covid-19 death rates to note only 6 percent of the deceased died solely from the virus.

“The death rate is very low,” McDowell said.  

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came out boldly in favor of putting children back in the classroom and on sports fields this fall.

“I have no idea why Abbott has not been as bold as DeSantis,” McDowell said. 

Texas is a “lockdown state” and is one of only three states where the governor has complete authority over Covid-19 response. 

More than fearing coronavirus, McDowell said she is concerned about the turn the country is taking.

“What bothers me the most is people tattling on each other about not wearing masks or not social distancing!” McDowell said. “This is how Stalin put millions in labor camps  in the 20th century. People ‘reported’ each other.”

Several influential Republican supporters in Texas wrote a letter requesting Abbott take more leadership in reopening the state fully.

Abbott is one of three governors in the country with complete authority over statewide Covid-19 response.