There have been many iconic moments when it comes to how bad policies and ignorance have killed 120,000 Americans, and most of those moments involve Donald Trump. But there seem to be a lot of Republicans who don’t want a historic catastrophe to pass without putting their imprimatur on some act of murderous foolishness.
On Tuesday, a group of Texas mayors—both Democratic and Republican—wrote to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asking that he help them enforce local regulations requiring the wearing of masks to protect against COVID-19. “If you do not have plans to mandate face coverings state wide,” wrote the mayors, “we ask that you restore the ability for local authorities to enforce the wearing of face coverings in public venues where physical distancing cannot be practiced.” And the mayors got a swift response from Abbott … who barred mayors from implementing any rules that would require face coverings. Because there is no situation that can’t be made worse with determined ignorance.
Abbott’s response isn’t an entirely new one. Way back on April 27, Abbott went as far as signing an executive order that said “no jurisdiction can impose a civil or criminal penalty for failure to wear a face covering.” What the mayors were asking was that Abbott relieve them of a burden that he personally created. He just refused.
On Tuesday, Texas reported its highest number of new cases of COVID-19 ever. And while Abbott was announcing those 2,622 cases, Texas authorities also fessed up to another 1,500 cases that had tested positive on previous dates, but somehow failed to be reported. This comes during a week that’s the highest week ever for COVID-19 as cases explode across the state.
But, as NPR reports, Abbott is not concerned. As part of the the announcement in which he banned mayors from instituting any rules about masks, Abbott declared that all was well because Texas has “abundant hospital capacity.” That’s right, Texans: Y’all just go on and get sick now, because when you need to breathe, we got a Texas-sized ventilator tube ready to cram down y’all’s throat and simply passels of empty ICU beds! (There’s also a Texas-sized bill waiting, but that comes later.)
The idea that there’s no reason to be concerned about surging cases because there’s still plenty of room in the hospital may not be the most reprehensible statement of the whole pandemic, but it’s up there. It’s a flat-out statement that no effort is going to be made to prevent misery, long-term health issues, and possible death as long as there’s a spot to plop down the next semiconscious body. It’s also a complete slap in the face to the healthcare workers who have to clean up the mess that Abbott is deliberately allowing to occur. The commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, Dr. John Hellerstedt, backed up Abbott by saying that while there was an increase in the number of cases, it was “expected” and is “occurring at a manageable level.” And again, that might not be the most Final-Solution-esque statement to come in this disaster, but it’s certainly shooting in the right direction.
Abbott also had some explanations as to why the high case numbers of the week really aren’t a thing. One day had 500 positive tests from prisoners, so they don’t count. Another day had counts from a nursing home, so they don’t count. And the next day had another 100 prisoners so … you guessed it.
But the most frustrating moment of Abbott’s appearance had to be when he was asked about public safety measures and replied that hand-washing, social distancing, and wearing masks were “what make it possible to reopen the state's economy.”
Abbott knows that wearing a mask is one of the most effective measures that can be taken against COVID-19. He knows that keeping those cases down is critical to sustaining not only the health of Texas’ citizens, but the recovery of its economy. But still he is telling cities and counties that they cannot require the wearing of masks. Because … jackasses. The Republican Party is jackasses all the way down.