Will Lubbock See Another Shutdown? [OPINION]

If you haven't heard, coronavirus cases in Lubbock continue to rise. Both Covenant and UMC have erected tents sent in by the State of Texas to help deal with the rise in cases, and we are quickly approaching two major holidays, well three if you count New Year's Eve.

On Thursday, the Mayor of Chicago ordered a new 30-day stay at home order which basically limits travel to essential reasons only. There are also news stories of other cities around the U.S. that are looking at more restrictions as coronavirus numbers rise across the United States.

So what about Lubbock? Will we see another shutdown here at home?

While anything is possible, I don't believe we will. At least, not because of local officials. The County Judge in El Paso has shutdown non-essential businesses, but late last night, a Texas Appeals Court stopped his order from being carried out. The position of the State of Texas, as of right now, is that only the Governor can close businesses. The Attorney General for the State of Texas applauded the court's decision according to the El Paso Times.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the appeals court for its ruling in a tweet issued by his office shortly after the court's ruling was issued.

"It is important that we do not shutdown the economy ever again, & this decision allows small businesses to continue to operate & pay employees,” the Texas attorney general's tweet said.

Seeing what is playing out in El Paso makes me believe that it won't be County Judge Curtis Parrish or Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope who shuts down the City. Instead, it would be Governor Greg Abbott and as of today, he doesn't seem to favor another shutdown.

Lubbock could see further restrictions, but what those will look like no one really knows.

There is one other person who could shutdown Lubbock. If President Trump fails in his legal fight and Joe Biden becomes the next President, it is possible that we could see another shutdown. Recently, one of Biden's advisors said a 4-6 week shutdown of the nation could help reduce the spread of coronavirus.