Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick: Bars Closed as COVID-19 Rises Among Young

Coronavirus infections are soaring among young people in Texas, leading to Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to close bars in the state one day after he paused the state's reopening plans, but the state's death rates are not rising, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday. 

"You look at the bars and some of the areas, the beaches, and other areas where younger people are congregating, the numbers are dramatically up in those areas," Patrick told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."

He said there is no exact data collected yet on the connection between bars and coronavirus, but "it is pretty clear that since we opened up the bars and opened up some of the areas where young people congregate that they are out there more."

Earlier in the morning, Abbott announced the closures, effective at noon Central Standard Time, noting that as he'd said from the start, if the "positivity rate rose above 10%, the State of Texas would take further action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19." At this time, he said, the rise in cases is being driven by certain types of activities, such as "Texans congregating in bars."

Patrick noted that there are 29 million people in Texas, and the infection numbers will likely keep climbing. 

However, the answer to the growing numbers is not another lockdown, he insisted. 

"The answer is, if we think we see an area where we see spikes, we are going to address those areas and we will tweak and make a pause in elective surgeries," said Patrick. "I am a small business guy. I don't ever want to be locked down again."

Meanwhile, Patrick said there has been a great deal of misinformation that has come out about the virus, particularly about the numbers of ICU beds, including in Houston, which is now at 97% of its ICU capability. 

"They normally run [at around] 89% so the additional cases have made them crowded," said Patrick. He added that the state is also doing much more testing, including 100,000 more people on Friday alone, so "you would see a lot more positive cases."

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