On Friday, Texans expected Gov. Greg Abbott to finally lay out a plan to reopen Texas from the onerous government restrictions designed to curtail the Chinese coronavirus.

Instead, many were left disappointed.

Rather than lay out a detailed plan, Abbott announced the creation of a “task force” to come up with a plan in 10 days, while still leaving in place most of the restrictions that have shut down businesses across the state.

“I’m extremely disappointed. Today’s orders do effectively nothing to help struggling Texans hoping to feed their family, pay their mortgage, or get people back to work,” former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi told Texas Scorecard. “Despite projections showing Texas is not at risk of overwhelming their healthcare infrastructure, the governor appears unwilling to take real steps to lead Texas out of this government-created mess or even set a clear path forward.”

JoAnn Fleming, executive director of Grassroots America – We The People, a conservative organization based in Tyler, Texas, agreed.

“Frankly, folks were hoping for much, much more from Gov. Abbott today. Non-retail small business owners wonder when their opening will be addressed,” Fleming said. “Texans tired of heavy-handed dictates from local government—especially when it comes to opening churches—heard no changes from the governor today, and it appears that health care is still rationed for any non-COVID-19 patient—unless the procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis.”

“Gov. Abbott must be more specific with his intentions next week. Texans are getting restless,” she added.

“Abbott has clearly lost his way if he thinks he can legislate health by executive order,” said Tammy Blair, past chairman of the Cherokee County Republican Party and board member of East Texans for Liberty. “He apparently forgot his campaign rhetoric.”

Abbott made big news out of a “retail to-go” initiative that will allow businesses that are currently considered non-essential to operate curbside, which, in reality, is not considerably different from the current state of affairs. That initiative is set to begin on Friday, April 24.

“Retail to Go cracks me up,” said Carol Mathis on the Empower Texans Facebook page. “Let’s use the example of a mom and pop antique store with no online presence, well they can’t open up because no one is allowed in their store. It does little for the little guy.”

“Also they should be looking at Texas on a county by county basis,” Mathis added. “My area has not been hit that hard and the people that have gotten it are mild cases, we shouldn’t be held hostage any longer. Abbott lost my confidence and probably my vote in the next election.”

“A plan to reopen an economy that should have never been closed to begin with,” said Robert Fedor. “Politicians coming up with solutions for problems they created.”

Abbott and his strike force are scheduled to announce more steps to reopen the Texas economy on April 27.

Brandon Waltens

Brandon serves as the Senior Editor for Texas Scorecard. After managing successful campaigns for top conservative legislators and serving as a Chief of Staff in the Texas Capitol, Brandon moved outside the dome in order to shine a spotlight on conservative victories and establishment corruption in Austin. @bwaltens

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