Panhandle Times

Gov. Greg Abbott is fence straddling for fear of political backlash when it comes to fully reopening Texas, according to Booker resident Diana Hoover.

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.

“I think Governor Abbott doesn’t want to be accused of having ‘blood on his hands’ when people die," Hoover, who is also Chair of the Lipscomb County Republican Party, told the Panhandle Times. “He’s overly cautious.“

A just released Texas A&M study reveals the nationwide economy is expected to have lost $2.5 trillion in goods due to business interruptions from lockdowns.

In Texas, chunks of the economy, such as bars, night clubs and salons, have remained shuttered for months. Restaurants have only been allowed to open at a diminished capacity. 

Hoover, 61, and her 71-year-old husband have continued to work as normal - outside of not maintinaing business hours - during the pandemic.  

“We are both realtors and we’ve sold several properties during the past 5 months,” she said. “Probably not as many as normal for this time of year, but we have continued to have inquiries about our properties and advertise our cell phone numbers now.”  

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

“He is probably somewhat at risk himself so sees this from a different perspective than everybody else,” Hoover said.

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared his state would not see another lockdown. 

Abbott has come under increasing pressure to open Texas back up across the board and to keep it open.

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