An Open Letter to the Governor Regarding Reopening Texas
Dear Governor Abbott,
Word is you are planning to allow non-essential businesses to open back up so the Texas economy can get rolling again. People will be able to get their nails done, buy remedies from their local curandero, and eat a chicken fried steak at their favorite restaurant before the gravy has congealed during delivery. That all sounds pretty good!
Before we fling open the barn doors and unshelter ourselves all over town, though, let’s consider the consequences. The case fatality rate from COVID-19 in Texas, if I’m figuring right, is about 2.5%. Pretty good — eh? Seems like we dodged a bullet there! Why? Partly because of our wide open spaces and partly because mayors and county officials and you, Sir, stepped up and asked people to shut ‘er down and just stay home for a while.
But, if you change course now, Mr. Governor, our 2.5% case fatality rate is likely to rise rapidly due to community spread that sickens more folks and overwhelms hospitals, especially those one-doctor outfits in rural counties. Now we’re looking at a case fatality rate closer to Michigan’s 6%. Let’s split the difference and say the rate in Texas would only rise to 4% of the many more folks who will contract the virus once they start rubbing elbows. A 4% case fatality rate means that 4 out of every 100 people who catches the virus dies.
So now, Governor Abbott, I want you to think of 100 people that you know personally. Which four are you willing to give up? Of course, you’ve got your Lieutenant Governor volunteering to die for the economy, so that one’s easy. You’ve really only got to pick three people. Who will they be?
I don’t know about you, but when I try to pick folks that I’d be willing to sacrifice, I run into some trouble. There’s my niece, who has both asthma and kidney disease. She got furloughed from the work with disabled children she loves and now works 50 hours a week at a grocery store. I worry folks like my niece would be first to go: Did you know more than 40 grocery stores workers have already died from the coronavirus?
And then there’s my husband and the ol’ boys in his band. Because you can be sure they’ll be out there playing both kinds of music — Country AND Western — just as soon as honkytonks are let to open back up. And between you and me, Governor, some of those boys have a beer gut or two and heart conditions and all kind of mess. Isn’t it enough that we lost John Prine?
You know, Governor Abbott, when it comes right down to it, I can’t think of a single soul I’d be willing to hand over. Can you?
So, let’s simmer down a little, Sir. Let’s hold our horses and take it easy. And before we go sashaying around shedding viruses all over the damn place, let’s have some mass testing and contact tracing so we know what we’re dealing with here in Texas. Then let’s make a plan based on facts, not wishful thinking. In the immortal words of Merle Haggard:
Wait a little longer, please Jesus
There are so many wandering out in sin
Just a little longer, please Jesus
A few more days to get our loved ones in
A few more days to get our loved ones in
Thank you,
Annie Hartnett
Austin, Texas
April 28th, 2020
