Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) pressed again President Trump
Donald John Trump protesters tear down the Christopher Columbus statue on Baltimore Independence Day star Bill Pullman, urging Americans to wear a “mask of freedom” on July 4.Characterizing the coronavirus as “harmless” in 99 percent of cases, saying on Sunday that city hospitals could be overwhelmed “if we don’t get this virus under control quickly.”
“If we don’t get this virus under control quickly, our hospitals could be in serious trouble,” Turner said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “The main problem is staffing … we can always provide additional beds, but we need people, nurses, and everyone else in the medical profession to take care of those beds.”
# COVID19 IN #HOUSTON: Mayor @SylvesterTurner tells @margbrennan that @HoustonTX “can always provide additional beds” as # COVID19 cases increase, but warns that the “main problem is the staff”. pic.twitter.com/w34vHF4XGm
– Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 5, 2020
When asked by host Margaret Brennan if any community was being disproportionately affected by the city outbreak, Turner replied, “This virus is an equal opportunity abuser. [but] is having a disproportionate impact on people of color and right now especially within the Hispanic community, “noting that he had also seen cases such as” a young woman in her 20s with no underlying medical condition “who died from the virus.
NEWS: In @HoustonTX # COVID19 is affecting minority communities the most – “particularly in the # Hispanic community,” @SylvesterTurner tells @margbrenan pic.twitter.com/QBlDRlQcHu
– Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 5, 2020
“In late April, early May, our numbers were relatively low … I said then [Texas was] reopen too fast, too fast, “added Turner.
Texas was one of the first states to begin the reopening process, with Governor Greg Abbott (R) in some cases overriding local officials for stricter restrictions than the state’s.
Turner warned not only about the increase in cases, but also about the increasing rate of positive tests.
“A month ago, one in 10 tested positive, today we are seeing almost 1 in 4,” he said.
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