Harris Co. Judge Lina Hidalgo wants authority to issue 2nd stay-at-home order

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is fighting for the authority to issue another stay-at-home order after local officials lifted the previous one, trusting people would take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"We need folks to stay home. We need folks to be part of this effort and work together as a community for the sake of our health, our economy, and all our neighbors," said Hidalgo.

Ultimately, Gov. Greg Abbott has the final say on if she can do that.

"We have to be patient and have a more sustainable reopening, so that we can have more economic opportunity over the long haul instead of having this situation where we're bouncing between open and closed, which ultimately leads to lost confidence in the economy," said Hidalgo.

Harris County sent a public safety alert on Friday to people's phones to announce that the county was elevated to a level one threat.

"We did issue an alert today because we want to make sure every resident in this county knows that we are now in red alert, the highest threat level for COVID-19 in this community, and we don't want anybody to miss that," said Hidalgo. "We need every single person on board with this effort."... (Read more)

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