Abbott activates Texas National Guard

Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced he activated the state's National Guard to help with the state's response to coronavirus but said deployment is not yet necessary.

This means members, with the exception of first responders and health professionals, are now being called to active duty, but they have not yet been given an assignment.

Texas joins more than 20 other states in making the move, including California, Florida and Arizona, according to the National Governors Association.

“By activating the Texas National Guard, we are ensuring Texas is prepared as we continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said in a statement.

“I am grateful to the men and women of the National Guard for their dedication to serving their fellow Texans, and want to assure the public that this is a precautionary measure to make sure the Texas National Guard has the capability to serve at a moment's notice where they are needed most.”

In opening remarks during a teleconference with Texas hospitals Tuesday, Abbott also said the number of Texans tested so far has risen to 1,264, up from 439 as of late Monday.

He added that Texas has confirmed 64 cases of COVID19 across 19 counties.

Abbott announced plans to hold a virtual town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, which will be aired on 14 Nexstar Broadcasting Inc. stations across Texas and livestreamed online.

Abbott will be joined by top officials from the Department of State Health Services, the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Texas Education Agency.

Viewers will be able to submit questions via social media using the hashtag #AskAbbott. Preference will be given to those questions submitted as videos rather than texts.

“Along with our local and federal partners, we are aggressively working to expand our COVID-19 testing capabilities, protect the most vulnerable populations, and ensure that health care professionals and all Texans have access to the supplies and resources they need,” Abbott said. “We are all in this together and this televised town hall is an opportunity to provide an update on the status of Texas’ response.”