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Gov. Abbott Extends Texas Coronavirus Disaster Declaration

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to media during a press conference on the coronavirus in February.
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT
Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to media during a press conference on the coronavirus in February.

Gov. Greg Abbott  extended his disaster declaration for all Texas counties on Sunday in response to COVID-19.

He originally issued the declaration, which enables the state to secure resources to mitigate the spread of the disease, on March 13. 

“By extending my Disaster Declaration, we are ensuring the state of Texas continues to have adequate resources and capabilities to support our communities and protect public health,” Abbott said in a written statement. 

The proclamation authorizes “the use of all available resources of state government and political subdivisions that are reasonably necessary to cope with the disaster.” It also allows the governor to suspend state agency orders or rules that “prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with this disaster.”

The governor said he urges “all Texans to continue practicing social distancing and abide by the guidelines laid out by the  CDC and my  Executive Orders to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Got a tip? Email Marisa Charpentier at mcharpentier@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter @marisacharp

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Marisa Charpentier joined KUT as a digital producer in January 2020. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in journalism and Plan II Honors in 2018, she worked as a reporter for Community Impact Newspaper, covering the Central Texas communities of Cedar Park and Leander.