Dallas Mayor On Governor's Order To Reopen Texas Economy: 'We Have To Make It Work'
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said now that Governor Greg Abbott has issued orders to gradually reopen some Texas businesses Friday, it's his job to help make sure the plan is a success and that residents continue their efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
"We're making strides here locally in flattening the curve, but we have to continue to do it. We're not out of the woods yet, we can't let up," Mayor Johnson said.
During an interview Tuesday, the Mayor said residents must continue practicing social distancing, good hygiene and wearing masks even after stores, malls, restaurants, movie theaters, libraries and museums are allowed to open at 25% occupancy.
He said it's not for him to criticize Governor Abbott's plan.
"I'm not at at all interested in the exercise of relitigating the decision or talking about whether it's too soon or too early. It's a done deal and now we have to make it the right decision. We have to make it work. Not working in this case means people dying and it's not an acceptable outcome to me."
The Mayor said seniors and the most vulnerable populations need to continue staying at home as much as possible.
He said one of the biggest challenges remains testing for the Covid-19 virus, even after he asked the federal government to set up two drive-thru testing sites in Dallas and asked Walgreens to also set up a site in the city. "What we have now is woefully inadequate. How much do we need? I can't say for sure, but I know that 1% of our county has been tested and I know that's not anywhere near enough."
When asked how concerned he would be if there's a spike in the number of people who test positive, the Mayor said, "If this announcement were made two weeks from now, it'd be a concern. If it were made two weeks ago, it would have been a concern - all stemming from the fact that we don't have the robust testing in place that we would like to have."
On Monday, Dr. John Hellerstedt, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the state would soon be able to ramp up to 26,000 tests a day.
The state also wants to increase the number of contact tracers to 4,000 by the end of May. "We have to do something about contact tracing", said the Mayor.
The Covid-19 shutdown has led to a sharp drop in sales tax revenues for cities across the state, including Dallas.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax has warned the city faces a $25 million shortfall for the rest of this fiscal year, and a shortfall as high as $134 million for the next fiscal year starting October 1st.
Mayor Johnson said, "Those are some big numbers you just mentioned. I'm very concerned about it. It's something I've been focused on since the beginning of this pandemic."
Broadnax told employees there could be reduced hours, furloughs, a reduction in force, and early retirement incentives as a result.
The Mayor said he told the City Manager to do everything possible to avoid making cuts to public safety, even though it's the largest part of the city's budget.
"It's very, very important to me that we not take a step backward with respect to public safety, with respect to police and fire, with respect to people who are delivering the essential services at the city."
The city is also facing millions of dollars in losses sustained during last October's tornadoes.
FEMA decided against reimbursing the city for its losses to public infrastructure, but the state is appealing.
The Mayor said he's hoping FEMA will change its mind and reimburse the city.
For now, he said he is focused on rebuilding the city's economy in as safe a manner as possible.
"Rebuilding our economy is going to fall on the shoulders of Mayors like myself."
But he said everyone will have to work together.
"We're going to have to start shopping locally and doing all types of things to bring our economy back when it's safe to do so."