DANGEROUS SITUATION.
THE CURVE WILL NOT FLATTEN ON
ITS OWN AND WE CANNOT AFFORD THE
WAIT.
SHE IS JOINING US NOW.
SHE’S THE JUDGE IN HARRIS
COUNTY, WHICH IS THE TOP ELECTED
OFFICIALS IN CHARGE OF MARK’S
THIRD LARGEST COUNTY WHICH IS
EXPERIENCING ONE OF THE WORST
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKS ON EARTH
RIGHT NOW.
JUDGE THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME
TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> FIRST, LET ME ASK YOU -- I AM
TRYING TO DESCRIBE WHAT IS
HAPPENING BROADLY IN TEXAS BUT
SPECIFICALLY IN HARRIS COUNTY
AND IN HOUSTON FROM AFAR.
LET ME ASK YOU IF I GOT ANYTHING
WRONG OR IF THERE IS ANYTHING
ELSE -- ANYTHING THAT I HAVE
GOTTEN WRONG OR ANYTHING
IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD
UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE SITUATION
YOU AND YOUR COUNTY ARE IN RIGHT
NOW?
>> NO, IT IS CRUSHING TO SEE
THAT TESTIMONIAL FROM THE NURSE.
IF THERE IS A SILVER LINING, IT
IS THAT THE HOSPITALS’
OPERATIONAL CAPACITY IS HITTING
92, 97%, BUT AS SHE SAID, THEY
HAVE BEEN WORKING TO MAKE ROOM,
TO MAKE SURGE CAPACITY, AND
SUSTAINABLE SURGE CAPACITY,
WHICH GIVES US A LITTLE BIT OF A
CHANCE TO PERHAPS HAVE A CHANCE
AT SUCCESS.
DOES THAT MEAN WE WILL SUCCEED?
WHO KNOWS?
AND CERTAINLY NOT WITHOUT SEVERE
ACTION ON THE PART OF THE
COMMUNITY.
BUT THE REALITY OF IT IS, WE
HAVE BEEN WATCHING THESE
HOSPITALIZATION TRENDS.
THIS IS NO SURPRISE.
IF YOU INCREASE CLOSE CONTACT TO
SUCH A DEGREE AS HAS BEEN
HAPPENING HERE YOU ARE GOING TO
HAVE MORE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND
THE PROJECTIONS SHOW THAT WE
WOULD RUN OUT OF ALL BEDS
ANYWHERE BETWEEN THE NEXT TEN
AND 40 DAYS.
NOW WE KNOW THAT IT TAKES ABOUT
THREE WEEKS TO FLATTEN A CURVE
WITH THE MOST SEVERE
RESTRICTIONS.
>> IN TERMS OF THAT HORIZON,
THAT SORT OF DIRE HORIZON IN
TERMS OF RUNNING OUT OF ALL BEDS
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SURGE
CAPACITY ONE OF THE THINGS WE
HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER HEALTH
OFFICIALS AND SEEN IN OTHER
PLACES IS THAT SURGE CAPACITY --
IT IS NEVER EASY, BUT IT IS
EASIER TO ORGANIZE IN TERMS OF
PHYSICAL SPACE AND LITERAL BEDS
AND GETTING EQUIPMENT IN PLACE.
THE THING THAT’S HARD TO
ORGANIZE IN TERMS OF SURGE
CAPACITY IS THE RIGHT NUMBER OF
TRAINED PROFESSIONALS TO STAFF
THOSE BEDS AND STAFF
PARTICULARLY INTENSIVE CARE
PATIENTS WHO NEED SO MUCH
ATTENTION AND SO MUCH CARE FROM
HE WAS PRO.
ARE YOU AT ALL CONCERNED ABOUT
HEALTH CARE STAFFING LEVELS AS
HARRIS COUNTY LOOKS TOWARD
MOVING INTO AN INTENSIVE CARE
SURGE CAPACITY KIND OF
SITUATION?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THERE IS A REASON THOSE BEDS ARE
NOT PERMANENT.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BEDS,
THE STAFF, THE PPE.
WE ARE STANDING UP -- WE HAVE A
MEDICAL SHELTER RALEIGH-DURHAM
TO GO AS WELL TO SUPPLEMENT THE
NEED IF IT CAME DOWN TO THAT.
BUT THAT’S NOT WHERE WE NEED TO
BE.
THE IDEA IS NOT TO HAVE SUCH
DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE AS TO
SAY LET’S JUST WAY UNTIL WE GET
TO THE VERY EDGE AND FILL THAT
CAPACITY.
FOR ONE, IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
BUT ALSO THIS IS THE COMMUNITY
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER DURING
HARVEY WHERE NEIGHBORS WERE
HELPING NIBS OUT OF FLOOD
WATERS, WHERE THE CONCERN FOR
HUMAN LIFE WAS OVERWHELMING.
AND THAT’S WHAT THIS IS.
IT IS AN INVISIBLE HURRICANE, SO
TO SPEAK, WHERE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S
HOME IS GETTING FLOODED AND WE
NEED TO GO AND HELP OUT.
AND THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES IS WE
ARE GOING TO NEED FOLKS TO WORK
TOGETHER.
OF COURSE, THE ISSUE IS WHILE I
HAD THE AUTHORITY TO ISSUE
RESTRICTIONS IN THE PAST I NO
LONGER DO.
AND SO I AM WORKING WITH THE
STATE TO TRY AND FIND A SOLUTION
QUICKLY.
AND AT WORST I WILL MAKE SURE
AND BE VERY CLEAR WITH THE
COMMUNITY AS TO WHAT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS ARE BECAUSE WE
ARE HEADED TOWARD A PRECIPICE,
AND IT MAY WELL BE TOO LATE.
>> IF YOU DID HAVE THE AUTHORITY
TO ISSUE RESTRICTIONS IN HARRIS
COUNTY IN HOUSTON IN TERMS OF
PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOR AND WHAT
SHOULD HAPPEN, WHAT WOULD YOU
ORDER AT THIS POINT?
WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE
NECESSARY IN TERMS OF MANDATORY
RESTRICTIONS.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER HARRIS
COUNTY IS HOUSTON AND 3 OTHER
CITIES.
IT IS A LARGE AREA.
WOULD HE KNOW WHAT DOESN’T WORK.
THAT IS THE STATUS QUO, THAT IS
THE ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO
BARS, RESTAURANTS, CLUBS.
I HAVE BEEN SAYING WE ARE AT THE
SECOND HIGHEST ALERT LEVEL WE
HAVE BEEN ON THAT FOR A COUPLE
OF WEEKS.
I HAVE BEEN ASKING THE COMMUNITY
NOT TO DO THAT.
BUT RECOMMENDATIONS IS JUST
HUMAN NATURE.
FOLKS THINK AND GET THE SENSE
THAT LIFE IS BACK TO NORMAL.
WHAT WE KNOW WORKS IS A STAY
HOME ORDER.
DO I WANT TO GO THERE?
NO.
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE
REOPENING I HAVE SAID I AM
COMMITTED TO MAKING IT SUCCEED.
WE PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS
ENTREESING, ON TESTING ON
QUARANTINE ONGS FOR FIRST
RESPONDERS, ON THIS MEDICAL
SHELTER, WORK WITH NURSING
HOMES, ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
BUT THE REALITY OF IT IS WE NEED
TO AVOID BEING THE CANARY IN THE
COAL MINE AS FAR AS WHAT A
REOPENING SHOULD NOT LOOK LIKE.
AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO
DO THIS SUSTAINABLY.
>> HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE LINA
HIDALGO.
LET ME ASK YOU ONE QUESTION
BEFORE WE GO.
OBVIOUSLY HARRIS COUNTY IS
CAPABLE, BIG, VERY LARGE, AS YOU
SAID.
THIRD LARGEST POPULOUS IN THE
COUNTRY IN TERMS OF COUNTIES.
AND YOU GUYS HAVE YOUR ACT
TOGETHER.
YOU GUYS KNOW -- YOU HAVE GOOD
GOVERNANCE, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU
ARE DOING.
GIVEN ALL OF THAT -- I AM
HESITANT TO ASK BUT IS THERE
SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED IN TERMS
OF NATIONAL HELP?
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT HARRIS
COUNTY NEEDS TO TAP THE REST OF
THE COUNTRY FOR AS YOU FACE
THESE VERY, VERY SCARY NUMBERS
RIGHT NOW?
>> I HOPE THAT FOLKS THAT ARE
REOPENING TOO QUICKLY, FOLKS
THAT ARE GETTING COMPLACENT WILL
SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE AND
TAKE IT AS A WORD OF WARNING AND
RECOGNIZE THAT THE VIRUS HAS NOT
GONE AWAY, THAT IT SPREADS FROM
PERSON TO PERSON CONTACT AND
THAT WE CAN’T GET COMPLACENT
WITH THIS VIRUS.
OTHER THAN THAT, WHAT I NEED IS
THE ABILITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO
BUCKLE DOWN.
WE DID IT FIRST ALREADY WITH THE
FIRST WAVE.
WE WERE ABLE TO BRING THOSE CASE
NUMBERS -- TO FLATTEN THEM
BEFORE IT STARTED REOPENING AND
WE HAVE GOT TO DO THAT AGAIN.
>> LYNN HIDALGO HARRIS COUNTY