‘They do absolutely nothing:’ Gov. Greg Abbott blasts local leaders for inaction to enforce current orders

Gov. Greg Abbott didn’t hold back when addressing local officials who are pushing for a second stay-at-home order or more authority of their own.

During an interview with a Beaumont TV station KFDM, Abbott put Texas leaders on blast for not enforcing his established orders.

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“If you look at the county judges or mayors who are asking for more authority to take action or to really shut things down completely back into lockdown mode that really force Texans into poverty,” Abbott said. “I found one thing consistent: All of these local officials who are asking to shut Texas back down – they’ve absolutely refused to enforce the current executive orders that are already in place.”

Abbott went on to call out local leaders for their inaction, but yet asking for more authority.

“What they need to show is action, not absenteeism. They need to show up, enforce the law as it is before they’re given any further authority,” Abbott said. “They ask for more and more, but they do absolutely nothing.”

Abbott said every order related to the pandemic, including the current statewide mask order, was issued based on the advice of doctors.

He said if local leaders were enforcing the order then they would see a decline in the spread of COVID-19.

“Here’s the reality: Every single one of these executive orders that have been issued were done based upon the advice of doctors to ensure that if these executive orders were enforced as local authorities have had the authority to do so, it would stop the spread of the coronavirus, especially this most recent order,” Abbott said.

The recent order requires “all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions,” the governor’s office said.

In the recent order, Abbott said wearing a mask is a proven method to slowing down the spread of COVID-19 and said Texans’ compliance with the order would help prevent more extreme measures from being implemented.

“If local officials enforce the mask order, it will slow the spread of the coronavirus,” Abbott said. “They just now need to step up and begin to enforce the orders that are already in place.”


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