March 11th was the last large group event I attended – the Republican Legislative Dinner in Austin. It was also the day that the NBA canceled the rest of their season and other sports and entertainment venues shut down. From the beginning of the CDC stay at home guidelines, I have said that we must protect the health of Texans, but we must also protect their jobs. We know we can do two things at once – save lives and save livelihoods. Now, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, we are finally not at the beginning of the end, but we may be near at the end of the beginning. In Texas, we have put down benchmarks to begin to open our economy up again so people can get back to work – I talked with Laura Ingraham about it on Friday night.
I also joined Shannon Bream on Fox News @ Night this week. In case you missed it, you can watch the clip here.
A Tragedy in San Marcos
Jan and I were very sad to learn that a San Marcos Police Officer was killed last night and several other officers were wounded in the line of duty. This is a heart-breaking reminder that not only does law enforcement have to take on the coronavirus, our brave police officers put their lives on the line to protect us every day. We will always be grateful for their courage and sacrifice. Please keep the family and friends of these officers and the San Marcos Police Department in your prayers.
A Moving Video: Treating COVID-19: A Day Inside Houston Methodist’s Highly Infectious Disease Unit
I encourage you to watch this video – to see first-hand what is behind the hard work, sacrifice and compassion of our medical professionals who are treating COVID-19 patients.
To help treat some of the more severe coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, Houston Methodist’s Highly Infectious Disease Unit (HIDU) established a special unit. Here they are working around the clock to care for positive COVID-19 patients. The video tells the moving story of the loss of Richard Steubinger, a 93-year-old Navy veteran who served in World War II, who quickly won over the hearts of his caregivers who lovingly called him “Grandpa.” Click here to watch the video ― dedicated in loving memory to Richard Steubinger and the compassionate staff members who cared for him.
Please keep those who are serving on the frontlines during this pandemic – our medical professionals, first responders, grocery workers and so many others – in your prayers.
May God bless you and your family in this difficult time, and may he continue to bless the greatest state of all—Texas.
Sincerely,
Dan Patrick
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
