AUSTIN, Texas -- Gov. Greg Abbott continued to stop short of calling for a statewide shelter-in-place mandate Tuesday, leaving it up to counties and cities to decide. Many of the state’s largest cities have ordered residents to stay home to try to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases.
Gov. Abbott did signal he’s open to imposing stricter statewide action soon.
"It's clear to me that we may not be achieving the level of compliance that is needed," Abbott said during a news conference in Austin. "That's why I said before I remain flexible in my statewide standard.”
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But Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, echoed the call from Texas House Democrats that a statewide shelter in place needs to happen now.
“I think the governor is making a mistake and it’s shown a lack of leadership on his part,” Rep. Castro said on Capital Tonight Tuesday.
Castro also discussed his current opposition to the Senate stimulus package and why he’s in favor of remote voting on a temporary basis during the pandemic.
Click the video link above to watch the full interview.