BROWNSVILLE, Texas - State Sen. Eddie Lucio wants Gov. Greg Abbott to consider closing the Texas border with Louisiana because of a spike of coronavirus cases that could have occurred after Mardi Gras.
The world-renowned festival, held every February in New Orleans, draws tens of thousands of revelers. According to a database maintained by the New York Times, the state of Louisiana has seen a recent spike in confirmed cases of COVID-19.
At press time, Louisiana had 1,172 confirmed cases, with 34 people dying from the disease. Many of the cases are in the New Orleans area. Texas, by contrast, had 668 confirmed cases and seven deaths.
In an interview, Sen. Lucio said he is worried about COVID-19 spreading from Louisiana to Texas.
“People are going about their business like it is not a serious thing and that worries me a lot. It is very serious,” Lucio, D-Brownsville, said.
“The numbers already indicate this virus is especially growing where there are masses of people coming together. I was told Mardi Gras in LA was a place where… the state of Louisiana had no confirmed cases and suddenly they go to 700. I have not gotten confirmation on that but if those numbers are true, we need to take it very seriously.”
Asked if the Texas-Louisiana border should be closed for non-essential travel, Lucio said:
“I certainly would like us to look at this issue carefully and make sure that we are not easing off on any potential danger that be brought to that part of the state.”
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