BEAUMONT, Texas — On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott gave the green light for some Texas businesses to expand capacity from 50% to 75%.
Given the latest numbers, 12News spoke to a Southeast Texas doctor about whether it's safe to reopen the state.
Dr. Msonthi Levine said Texas is fully ready to open back up, but Texans need to be mindful of COVID-19.
"We're all familiar with the pandemic at this point and what to do to mitigate the spread of the virus," Levine said.
It's been about six months since the pandemic started for the United States, and Levine believes Southeast Texans know how to handle the virus.
"The thing I want to reiterate to people is that the experts never said that these efforts would create zero cases, that the focus of the goal was to control the spread of the virus so that the system would not be overwhelmed," Levine said.
By following the guidelines, officials say the state of Texas has made progress.
"I think we've made enough head way in this country with wearing masks and cleaning our hands, prioritizing sanitizing to help generate some stability," Levine said.
There's still one major concern: hospital beds.
"The concern of a large patient surge is always there and we still just want to listen to the viewers and recognize that this stuff is important. It's going to be that way for the next several months," Levine said.
So is it safe for you to go out when the state reopens?
"If you want to go out, I think that's fine. But again honoring and respecting the recommendations made by experts," Levine said.
If the state sees an increase in cases due to reopening, Dr. Levine said doctors are prepared.
"We feel very comfortable with the virus. We're learning new things every day, but we feel fairly comfortable in terms of processing patients and how to treat them and how to work them out," Levine said.
