Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has been under fire nationally for his handling of the coronavirus, with the second-highest number of hospitalizations in the country, next to Florida. Critics point to his policies that actively undermine public health, including banning vaccine and mask mandates as the highly-infectious delta variant explodes across the country. President Joe Biden this week called Abbott’s policies “the most extreme.”
Texas children have start going back to school, and Gov. Abbott’s Education Agency (TEA) just released new COVID-19 protocols, which ignore CDC guidance. The lack of any attempt to protect children and teachers from the virus is prompting widespread outrage, with some correctly noting the state has stricter policies against lice that the coronavirus.
Among the highly-controversial policies, schools do not have to inform parents of any positive coronavirus cases. They also do not have to perform contact tracing. And if they do, students found to have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive do not have to be kept out of school, as WFAA reports.
The Texas Education Agency also requires just seven vaccines. CDC has a list of 12 vaccines it recommends.
Texas coronavirus cases are exploding.
Many are expressing shock and outrage.