Texas, Our Texas

.@govabbott on Friday announced initial steps to reopen the Texas economy during the coronavirus pandemic, including those that in the next week will loosen surgery restrictions at medical facilities and reopen state parks: https://t.co/Hly9bJQ0ou pic.twitter.com/QJmaNSXxLy

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) April 19, 2020

First, this:

Far more Texans are out of work than the state’s latest 4.7% unemployment rate indicates because the data released Friday predates the widespread business closures and layoffs that escalated as the coronavirus crisis worsened. https://t.co/m1L7lIw4rV

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) April 19, 2020

And this:

Texas could run out of funds to pay for unemployment benefits as soon as May or June, reports @ceproctor23 People will still get paid, but businesses may see tax hikes as a result. https://t.co/5qbaygKgGM via @TexasTribune

— Marissa Luck (@marissaluck7) April 20, 2020

The announcment that Gov. Abbott is going to open state parks is kind of an empty gesture.  There are some state parks near Texas cities, but all are near only small towns (not that they don't matter!) if near towns at all.  And most Texas state parks don't get the attendance/attention of, say, Yosemite, or even Florida beaches.  Besides, you have to drive there, and will the gas stations be open on the way?  The burger joints?  It's a sketchy prospect at best to travel to a state park from any major Texas city.  And since we're not a heavily urbanized state (no NYC here), who really needs to?

And reports that "parks" in Texas are opening are greatly misleading.  The governor is opening state parks; he has no control over county or city parks, which in Houston at least, remain closed.

Our more serious problem is with testing:

The data may not represent all cases of the #coronavirus given limited testing in the state. https://t.co/uqEMwDwBzO pic.twitter.com/4YOcoTrLXz

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) April 19, 2020

But Trump has said, again (!), he's going to invoke the DPA for swabs.  Well, he said he would, but he said he doesn't need to because a huge supply is coming soon, but he will anyway, but he doesn't really need to, so....

Not really all that worried about the state parks re-opening at this point.  Seems to me there are bigger problems afoot.