Coronavirus: Texas Governor Orders Testing At Nursing Homes

AUSTIN, TX — The governor on Monday directed various state agencies to test all residents and staff in Texas nursing homes — increasingly seen as hotbeds for new coronavirus clusters.

The directive involves the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Division of Emergency Management and and the Texas Department of State Health Services now tasked with testing at nursing homes, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a prepared statement.

To that end, the governor instructed the agencies to develop and implement a plan based on the guidance of Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx who serves as the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in the Austin area. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily

"The State of Texas is working to rapidly expand our testing capacity — especially among vulnerable populations in Texas nursing homes," Abbott said. "This important collaboration among HHSC, TDEM, and DSHS will ensure that any potential clusters of COVID-19 cases in nursing homes are quickly detected and contained."

Related stories:

• Texas Governor Allows Malls, Restaurants, More To Open By May 1
• Coronavirus: Abbott To Let More Businesses Reopen Friday

The new directive comes on the heels of the governor's visit to the White House on Thursday to convey the scope of the state's efforts in containing spread of the respiratory illness, although it's unclear if the Abbott's measure on nursing homes stemmed from that meeting. According to mutliple reports, Abbott during the visit earned the praise of Donald Trump for the governor's containment strategy while concurrently reopening the Texas economy in a gradual, multi-phaseed manner.