US Texas extends disaster declaration to mitigate pandemic

Houston, April 13 (IANS) US Texas Governor Greg Abbott extended the disaster declaration for 30 days to respond to COVID-19.

"By extending my Disaster Declaration, we are ensuring the state of Texas continues to have adequate resources and capabilities to support our communities and protect public health," Abbott said on Sunday, reported Xinhua news agency.

"I urge all Texans to continue practicing social distancing and abide by the guidelines laid out by the CDC and my Executive Orders to slow the spread of COVID-19," he said.

The declaration, originally issued March 13, provided the state a number of resources to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Texas.

According to Texas Health and Human Services, there were 13,484 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 271 reported deaths in the state as of Sunday.

--IANS

rt/