Texas Governor Greg Abbott is hitting the pause button on the state's reopening, as coronavirus cases surge to record highs in the state.
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On Thursday, Gov. Abbott announced that the reopening plan would be put on hold, although businesses currently allowed to operate could continue to do so. He encouraged all Texans to "do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly and social distancing from others."
Abbott also temporarily banned elective surgeries in order to keep hospital beds open for COVID patients.
“The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. "This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business."
Texas has recorded 5,000 new coronavirus cases in each of the last two days, and is up to 125,000 total. And according to NBC News, the U.S. saw a record number of new cases in one single day, reporting 45,557 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
"The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business,” Gov. Abbott added.
Read more on NBC News.