Texas governor blames people under 30 for the state's recent spike in coronavirus cases

• Texas has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, and on Tuesday broke the single-day case record with 2,622 new cases of COVID-19.
• Governor Greg Abbott said the uptick in cases could be a result of people ignoring social distancing rules and going to "bar-type settings."
• He said the majority of cases were in people under 30, but a Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman told USA Today that it's too early to tell.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott blamed the state's recent spike in coronavirus cases on people under the age of 30.

Texas recorded 2,622 new cases of COVID-19 in the state on Tuesday, breaking the state record for single-day cases since the pandemic began, according to the Texas Department of Public Health. The state also had 2,518 new hospitalizations.

Abbott urged people to stay calm despite the coronavirus case spike, during a press conference on Tuesday, saying there is "no reason right now to be alarmed," according to the New York Post.

He blamed the uptick in cases on young people, saying the majority of people who tested positive since the start of June are under 30 years old. He did not provide evidence of an increase in infections in young people during the press conference.

Abbot said the uptick could be a result of people ignoring social distancing rules over Memorial Day weekend and going to "bar-type settings."

"We think we can also accurately say there has been an increase — especially beginning around the Memorial Day time period and going through a few weeks after that — an increase in people testing positive because they may not be practicing all these safe standards," Abbott said.

A Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman told USA Today that the agency doesn't have hard data on how many young people have tested positive for COVID-19 recently, though San Antonio health officials said many of the new cases in Bexar County were in young people.

Texas started reopening in April after weeks of shutdowns and social distancing rules put in place to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The state is currently in Phase Three of reopening, which means establishments can increase their capacity to 75%.