O’Rourke on Texas reopening: ‘Dangerous, dumb and weak’

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, one of Texas’s most prominent Democrats, panned the state’s Republican leadership for reopening the state during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“A deadly lesson in failed leadership: Texas leads the country in uncontrolled spread of coronavirus. Despite what Trump & co. (Abbott & Patrick) say, stay home if you can & wear a mask if you have to go out. It will save lives,” he tweeted.

A deadly lesson in failed leadership: Texas leads the country in uncontrolled spread of coronavirus. Despite what Trump & co. (Abbott & Patrick) say, stay home if you can & wear a mask if you have to go out. It will save lives. https://t.co/UjQWqnQgPD

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 23, 2020

O’Rourke added that the decision to start reopening was “Dangerous, dumb and weak.”

Dangerous, dumb and weak. https://t.co/dJMTRh6KIV

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 23, 2020

Texas began reopening its economy earlier this month, exacerbating a political divide in the state that is increasingly split between Democratic cities and Republican rural areas. The state has given broad latitude to businesses like restaurants and barber shops to open up, though Austin has cautioned them do so with limited capacity and other safety measures. 

The state saw its largest one-day increase in cases last Saturday, with 1,801 new cases.

One reason for the rise in cases is a significant boost in testing, which means more people carrying COVID-19 are being identified.