South Brazoria News

BRYAN – Brazos County leaders are working on a plan – dubbed Operation Restart – to determine the best way to safely get the community back to work as the COVID-19 crisis wanes.

"We know we need to get people back to work but we have to do it safely," College Station Mayor Karl Mooney said during a recent news conference reported on by KBTX-TV.

In addition to local government officials and Texas A&M University, the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce has joined in deliberations on how to formulate a plan.

"As we bring about this economic restart we have to make sure we are consistent,” Mooney said. “So how do we do that? We need to make sure certain folks throughout the county are all following the same protocols.”

Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson spoke during the news conference as well.

"I do think the environment is right for us to look at how do we get back to business but not business as usual," he said.

The call for local coordination accompanies a recent announcement by Gov. Greg Abbott of initial steps to begin reopening the state’s economy in phases. Some of the measures Abbott discussed included loosening restrictions on medical procedures, reopening state parks and giving retail stores more leeway in the services they provide.

Abbott also announced a task force chaired by Austin banker James Huffines that is intended to help move the economy back into action.

"Because of the efforts by everyone to slow the spread, we're now beginning to see glimmers that the worst of COVID-19 may soon be behind us," Abbott said. "We have demonstrated that we can corral the coronavirus." 

In response, state Rep. Chris Turner (D-Grand Prairie), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said Abbott has not provided a clear plan for how Texas will increase testing.