It’s not over

As an alarming rise in coronavirus cases continues, we must renew our diligence.

We are not done with the novel coronavirus. And it certainly isn’t done with us.

That may seem obvious if you’ve noticed the alarming rise in cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations. But far too many Texans took Gov. Greg Abbott’s move to reopen the economy as an allclear on the threat that has sickened more than 2 million and claimed more than 115,000 lives throughout the country.

That understandable rush to get back to work, back to our friends and family — back to “normal” — has us at a tipping point from which we as a nation must pull back.

“I am growing increasingly concerned that we may be at the precipice of a disaster,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday. She said we all must “change our behavior, take personal responsibility to keep our county and our metrics from heading in a dangerous direction.”

Hidalgo’s warnings came during a news conference announcing the county’s new COVID-19 threatlevel system. Out of the four colors meant to communicate the degree of risk Houstonians face, the gauge now sits at the secondhottest, orange: a significant and uncontrolled level of COVID-19 in Harris County.

Coronavirus cases in the Houston area have increased steadily over the past three weeks. As of Friday, Harris County had more than 9,000 active cases. The local numbers mirror statewide data, with Texas hitting a new daily high Wednesday and COVID-19 hospitalizations reaching record numbers, a trend that experts believe will continue.

These are the makings of the worst-case scenarios some had warned we would see if we reopened too quickly. We haven’t reached those levels yet, but Hidalgo’s words last week were meant to shake us out of our complacency and recognize the gathering threat.

Local officials can’t do much more than issue warnings, however, given that their hands are tied by the governor’s superseding executive orders.

The irony is that many of the warning signs Hidalgo pointed to are precisely the metrics Abbott has offered as critical measures. ICU capacity and the infection rate, which shows the number of positive cases in relation to tests administered, have been part of Abbott’s promise to keep a close watch on things as the economy reopens.

Hidalgo concedes there are still plenty of hospital beds for now, but last week’s 12 percent infection rate is already above the 10 percent that Abbott, back in May, said would be a “red flag.”

So far, Abbott says he is concerned but not yet alarmed.

With the Fourth of July holiday weekend only a few weeks away, we urge Abbott to keep the safety of Texans as his primary concern. No one is eager for another lockdown. But Abbott and others must be willing to order one, should conditions worsen considerably.

State officials say they are watching the numbers carefully, but there is little room for error due to the nature of the virus, which can take up to two weeks to manifest itself and for worsening symptoms to require hospitalization.

By the point that dire numbers compel officials to act, it may already be too late to avoid mass tragedy.

We remain confident that we won’t have to choose between reopening the economy and locking down — but that’s going to take a renewed vigilance on everyone’s part. Regardless of how many people are allowed inside a restaurant or when water parks are free to open, we must understand we are no safer now than we were two months ago.