There will be a "constant balance" between allowing people to work and protecting public health, and it will fall on individuals to make their own decisions, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Monday in response to the growing number of coronavirus cases in his state.
"It is easy to second-guess, but the reality is we've only had around 3,000 deaths, which is 3,000 too many, but we have 28 million people," Paxton said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "You can't keep the economy shut down forever . . . people are going to have to be responsible with their own decisions."
He added that the original reason for shutting down the state was to ensure there are enough hospital beds and equipment, and that has happened in Texas.
"Part of the reason the governor has responded with elective procedures for medical and certain cities is based on hospital beds," said Paxton. "We never shut down because it might spread. The reality it's going to spread until we get a vaccine or cure, so there is a balance here between allowing people live and work and protecting their health and safety."
There are vulnerable people who should stay home until the pandemic ends, he conceded, "but they're going to have to continue to work because they make a living."
He added that there are several local counties that are issuing mandatory rules on wearing masks, and Gov. Greg Abbott hasn't stopped them from doing that.
"I think you're going to see more on that," he said. "Masks have been effective in preventing the spread. They continue to follow CDC guidelines with social distancing and washing hands, so practical common sense things I think are getting to be more and more part of our lives as we move forward because again, there's a balance. You are working, I am working, a lot of people have to work, and we can't keep people from working for days, months and years."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.