RIGHT
RIGHT NOW
RIGHT NOW AND HE SAYS MORE VACCINES ARE ON THE WAY.
GOVERNOR ABBOTT: TEX+@AS IS IN A
FAR BETTER POSITION RIGHT NOW
THAN +@WHEN I ISSUED LAST
EXECUTIVE ORDER.
EXECUTIVE ORDER. WE ARE IN A COMPLETELY --
MARC: ARE WE RE+@ALLY BETTER OFF
WE ARE IN A COMPLETELY -- MARC: ARE WE RE+@ALLY BETTER OF?
WE SET OUT TO VERIFY THAT.
AND JUST ABOUT EVERY METRIC, THE
NUMBERS DON'T+@ BACK UP THE
CLAIMS.
CLAIMS.
CLAIMS. COMPARE THE NEW CASES,
HOSPITALIZATIONS, D+@EATHS, AND
COMPARE THE NEW CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS, D+@EATHS, ANDE
WERE DOING BETTER BACK IN
OCTOBER, ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT
HAVE A VACCINE BACK THEN.
WHILE THE STATEWIDE ORDERS ARE
BEING LIFTED, EACH COUNTY IS
HANDLING IT.
HANDLING IT. JOINING US TO DISCUSS IT IS
DALLAS COUNTY JUDGE CLAY JENKINS
AND TARRANT COUNTY JUDGE
WHITLEY.
WHITLEY.
WHITLEY. IS IT TIME TO OPEN THE STATE
100% AND LIFT THE MASK MANDATE?
JUDGE WHITLEY: MY PREFERENCE
WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN TO WAIT
UNTIL AFTER SPRING BREAK, BUT
SINCE THE GOVERNOR DID IT JUST
TO STOP ALL THE CONFUSION, I
WENT AHEAD AND RESCINDED MY
ORDER FOR BUSINESSES AS OF
Y+@ESTERDAY AND NOW IT WILL BE P
TO EACH BUSINESS TO DECIDE WHAT
THEY WANT TO DO.
MARC+@: YOU MENTIONED CONFUSION.
A LOT OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING THE
NEWS, BUT MAYORS HAVE PUSHED
BACK AND SAY IT IS TOO SOON.
WHAT DOES THIS DO FOR THEIR
ABILITY TO FIGHT IT?
JUDGE JENKINS: WHEN WE LISTEN TO
THE DOCTORS
JUDGE JENKINS: WHEN WE LISTEN TO THE DOCTORS, WE DO WELL.
FOR THE INDIVIDUALS AND
BUSINESSES, KEEP WEAR YOUR
MASKS.
MASKS.
MASKS. TH+@E GOVERNOR WANTS TO CHANGE .
WE ALSO NEED TO HOLD HIM
WE ALSO NEED TO HOLD HIM+@ ACCOUNTABLE FOR ALL THE DAMAGE
THEY CALLED AND FIX THE +@POWER
GRID.+@
GRID.+@
GRID.+@ JUST WEAR YOUR MASK+@ AND WE WIL
WIN THIS TOGETHER.
LISTEN TO THE DOCTORS ABOUT HOW
TO KEEP SAFE.
DON'T LISTEN TO THE DOCTOR ABOUT
WHAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH.
MARC: WE HAVE HEARD THE GOVERNOR
PREACHED THE POWER OF LOCAL
CONTROL ESPECIALLY WHEN IT I+@S
THE STATE OF TEXAS VERSUS THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, DU+@ES -- BT
DOES THIS CHANGE THEIR POWER?
JUDGE WHITLEY: I HAVE BEEN A
LONG-TIME PROPONENT FOR LOCAL
CONTROL.
CONTROL.
CONTROL. WE ARE TOO BIG OF +@A STATE FOR
ONE PERSON TO MAKE THE
DECISIONS.
DECISIONS. IT IS DIFFERENT AND TARRANT
COUNTY THAN IT IS IN TRAVIS
COUNTY.
COUNTY.
COUNTY. I
COUNTY. I BELIEVE THE LOCAL COUNTY
JUDGES SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE
THE AUTHORI+@TY TO MAKE THOSE
DECISIONS, BUT THAT IS NOT WHERE
WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
I WISH IF WE WERE DECLARING THE
INDEPENDENCE WE WOULD HAVE DONE
IT AS OF TODAY INSTEAD OF SAYING
, TODAY IS INDEPENDENCE DAY BUT
WE WILL NOT BE INDEPENDENT UNTIL
NEXT WEEK.
NEXT WEEK. MARC: A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE A LOT
OF QUESTIONS.
OF QUESTIONS. WHEN THE GO+@VERNOR SPOKE HE
SEEMED TO TOUT THE VACCINATION
PLAN THOUGH TEXAS RANKS 45TH IN
PERCENT OF VACCINATIONS
DISTRIBUTED.
DISTRIBUTED. JUDGE JENKINS, HOW WOULD YOU
RATE THE STATE'S VACCINATION
ROLLOUT SO FAR?
JUDGE JENKINS: IT HAS BEEN
PRETTY POOR.
PRETTY POOR. THEY HAVE BEEN DIVERTING SHOTS
FROM TARRANT +@AND DALLAS COUNTS
AND OTHER PLACES.
THEY SAY IT IS TO EQUALIZE BUT
CHECK THIS OUT.
WHERE THE+@ GOVERNOR GAVE THE
SPEECH YESTERDAY, 25% HAVEN'T
HAD A SHOT.
THEY KEEP TAKING SHOTS FROM
DALLAS AN+@D TARRANT COUNTY AND
GIVING THEM TO O+@THER PLACES IN
THE STATE.
THE STATE. THAT IS JUST WRONG.
WE ARE ALL TEXANS AND ALL NEED
OUR FAIR SHARE OF THE SHOTS TO
GET +@VACCINATED.
GET +@VACCINATED. MARC: MEDICAL EXPERTS SAY HEARD
IMMUNITY WOULD HAVE OCCURRED
70%.
70%.
70%. WE
70%. WE ARE NOT ANYWHERE CLOSE TO
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. JUDGE WHITLEY: THERE WOULD NOT
HAVE BEEN HARM IN DOI+@NG+@ THA.
I HEARD A REPORT THAT SAID THE
INCREASED PRODUCTION OF VACCINES
MEANS THAT BY THE END OF MAY
ANYBODY WHO WANTS A VACCINE
SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET -- BE ABLE
TO GET ONE.
I BELIEVE WE NEED TO GET THOSE
P+@ERCENTAGES UP.
P+@ERCENTAGES UP. WE NEED TO GET THE VACCINES IN
THIS AREA.
THIS AREA. TARRANT COUNTY HAS LED THE STATE
AS FAR AS THE PERCENTAGE OF
VACCINE PUT IN ARMS AND IF THEY
WILL GET US THE VACCINES WE WILL
GET THE PEOPLE VACCINATED AND
GET +@TO THE HERD
GET THE PEOPLE VACCINATED AND GET +@TO THE HERD+@ IMMUNITY
QU+@ICKLY.
QU+@ICKLY. MARC: WHAT DOES IT DO FOR LOCAL
BUSINESSES?
BUSINESSES? IT HE S+@AID THEY CAN FORCE MASK
+@
+@ MANDATES BUT THAT IS NOT WHERE
THEY WANT TO BE.
FOR OUR BUSINESSES, I AM TALKING
TO OUR +@LEADERS.
PURGING BUSINESSES -- URGING
BUSINESSE+@S TO STILL REQUIRE
PEOPLE TO W+@HERE MASKS IN THE
BUSINES+@S.
BUSINES+@S. CUSTOMERS NEED TO KNOW WHEN THEY
COME TO YOUR BUSINESS IT WILL BE
SAFE AND LET THEM KNOW THE
OWNERS CARE ABOUT THEM.
HAVING PEOPLE WH+@ERE MASKS IN A
GLOBAL PANDEMIC IN YOUR
ESTABLISHMENT IS A GREAT WAY TO
+@
ESTABLISHMENT IS A GREAT WAY TO DO T+@HAT.
DO T+@HAT. YOU WILL SEE IN MOST BUSINESSES
+@
YOU WILL SEE IN MOST BUSINESSES YOU WILL STILL BE REQUIRED TO
WEAR A MASK.
IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL SAFER AND
THE PEOPLE +@AROUND YOU WEARING
MASKS IN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
MARC: WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT
TO KEEP THE PUBLIC SAFE DURING A
PANDEMIC?
PANDEMIC?
PANDEMIC? JUDGE WHITLEY: I THINK WE ALL
HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY.
I HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY IT IS
MY RIGHT.
MY RIGHT.
MY RIGHT. BUT I SAY YES, WHEN YOU'RE WRITE
HIM UP ON THE RIGHT OF SOMEONE
ELSE, THEN THAT IS WHERE THE
DEBATE BEGINS.
DEBATE BEGINS. +@
DEBATE BEGINS. I AM GOING TO CONTINUE TO ASK
PEOPLE TO WEAR MASKS.
THIS WILL LEAVE IT UP TO THE
BUSINESSES.
BUSINESSES. WE WILL DECIDE WHAT WE ARE GOING