Gov. Greg Abbott says he won't impose lockdowns or mask mandates in Texas as it reports the 2nd-most COVID-19 cases in the US

• Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Wednesday said lockdowns during a pandemic "are wrong."
• Abbott said he wouldn't impose shutdowns or mask mandates with COVID-19 cases rising in the state.
• Abbott made the comments during a speech at a hotel-owners convention in Dallas, CBS DFW reported.

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said Wednesday that lockdowns during a pandemic "are wrong" and reiterated that he wouldn't impose any shutdowns or mask mandates even as the Lone Star State in the past week reported the second-most new COVID-19 cases in the US.

"Another thing that has propelled business operations in Texas for you as well as others across the state is that Texas has remained open for business during the course of the pandemic," Abbott said during a speech at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association's National Convention in Dallas, CBS DFW reported.

The Republican governor added: "One thing that we know is that safe practices are important. That said, one thing that we learned along the way is lockdowns are wrong during the course of a pandemic."

Abbott encouraged those who were unvaccinated to get the potentially life-saving COVID-19 vaccine but said he would not order any coronavirus-related restrictions.

"Going forward, in Texas there will not be any government-imposed shutdowns or mask mandates," Abbott said, according to the news outlet. "Everyone already knows what to do. Everyone can voluntarily implement the mandates that are safest for them, their families, and their businesses."

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that a third of all US coronavirus cases reported in the past week came from Texas and Florida.

In the past seven days, Florida reported 123,400 new COVID-19 cases, while Texas recorded the second-highest number of new cases in the US at 64,753, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neighboring Louisiana reported the most cases per capita, with more than 600 per 100,000 residents over the past week.